Inflation

Jul
17
A cartoon of a boomer retiree riding a surfboard on a wave of money, with migrants in the background working and studying.

Migrants aren't causing inflation

Inflation is caused by fiscal and monetary policy, not by migrants or other supply shocks, which can only temporarily affect measured inflation by altering relative prices in the economy.
9 min read
Jul
03
Why the RBA should hold steady

Why the RBA should hold steady

It's probably too late in the cycle to hike rates any further when what's desperately needed is tax, spending and regulatory reform.
9 min read
Jun
11
Why we may not be done with inflation

Why we may not be done with inflation

Interest rates have come down in Canada and the eurozone. When will Australia follow suit?
9 min read
Apr
29
Inflation's bumpy landing

Inflation's bumpy landing

Australia's March quarter inflation figures came in above expectations. Especially worrying was the sticky services and non-tradables inflation, making rate cuts very unlikely this year. To fix inflation we desperately need fiscal policy to start working with monetary policy, rather than against it.
8 min read
Feb
05
Miles off the mark

Miles off the mark

Queensland's Premier Steven Miles appears to be out of his depth. Last week he called for RBA rate cuts, and announced reviews into supermarket pricing and homelessness. On Sunday he released a rental package that risks making the situation worse.
7 min read
Jan
22
When will interest rates start coming down?

When will interest rates start coming down?

I fired up my crystal ball and took a bit of a punt on this one. Well, not really, but if you're interested in my thinking on when the RBA might start cutting rates (hint: not anytime soon) then you should check it out.
8 min read
Jan
09
Inflation and Australia's cost-of-living crisis

Inflation and Australia's cost-of-living crisis

I thought I'd kick the year off by commenting on perhaps the biggest issue facing the average Australian
10 min read
Oct
27

Inflation's winners and losers

Who has fared the worst from the recent bout of inflation and ongoing cost of living crisis? It’s not
2 min read
Oct
25

Nitpicking inflation

Australia’s rate of inflation – as measured by the Consumer Price Index, or CPI – “rose 1.2 per cent in
2 min read