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Jennifer HewettFinancial Review |
Market tantrums and the fall in the Australian dollar in response to the US Fed show that next year is likely to be even more volatile.
Jim Chalmers is good at relaxed rhetoric about the economy. The mid-year figures are much tougher to explain.
Falling prices mean Australia’s ambitions to develop the industry and downstream processing are on pause. Is this a waiting game, or is it all over?
Peter Dutton is betting big on nuclear power. Labor labels this economic insanity. And the public won’t believe either party’s estimates of what...
The risk of power blackouts is real and rising this summer – along with the costs of frantically trying to avoid that happening,
Forget the headline number. The latest inflation figures are not good news for a government trying to sell its economic credentials.
Donald Trump is promising 25 per cent tariffs on supposedly close allies like Canada and Mexico as well as China. Where does that leave Australia?
The Albanese government’s numbers don’t add up for voters as the election looms.
The US may have a different culture, but its politics still provide a recent lesson in the electoral risks of rural voters feeling ignored by...
The frenzy around a reinvigorated Republican administration can only make the voter ride much bumpier for everyone, Anthony Albanese included.
The government accuses Peter Dutton of hypocrisy for rejecting its foreign student caps, but the Opposition Leader is not about to do Labor any...
After taking a wild ride in lithium over the past year, Liontown Resources thinks it can also adapt to whatever the Trump administration produces.
Why the appointment of the world’s richest man to a cost-cutting role in the Trumpiverse challenges Labor’s approach to government in Australia.
Donald Trump’s presidency is about to show up the contradictions in Australia’s defence spending and its domestic economy.
Transurban and the NSW government are at loggerheads over how to reduce the long-term costs to taxpayers and motorists from Sydney’s sprawling toll...
Donald Trump attacked the Democrats for being too progressive and woke on cultural issues. Many Americans agreed with that general theme, if not...
Her gracious concession speech demonstrated the practical problems with her campaign and where the Democrats failed.
Donald Trump’s return to the White House means the return of an unpredictable president with big plans to Make America Great Again – and fewer...
The former president is priming his supporters to claim another election steal if he doesn’t win big.
America’s economy remains robust despite the sickness infecting its politics. But Donald Trump still says emergency economic surgery is needed.
Kamala Harris reminds voters of Donald Trump’s role in the January 6 insurrection. But a clumsy line from President Joe Biden derailed her appeal...
The US approach to Indigenous concerns and rights and history is very different to Australia’s.
Donald Trump can’t win over a staunch liberal New York City, but he used a rally at Madison Square Garden to flaunt his claim to own America’s...
To the frustration and alarm of Democrats, Kamala Harris is yet to “close the deal” to prevent a return of Donald Trump as US president. Why is...
The IMF has reinforced America’s economic exceptionalism despite the poisonous politics on spectacular show. Australia is exceptional for another...
The Coalition’s nuclear policy gets most of the attention, but the future of coal will have a starring role in the continuing climate wars.
There’s increasing focus on the crucial role of gas to support the energy transition. But bankers and politicians are yet to get the message.
Energy Minister Chris Bowen insists there is no reason to underwrite gas projects, but the Coalition and some experts say the technology is essential.
Behind all the US campaign razzmatazz, there is apprehension at the seemingly stalled momentum of the vice president’s reinvention to become their...
The Albanese government is still struggling to break out of a post-Voice gloom, with new policies failing to stop the lingering sense of drift...
The government needs a political scapegoat to blame for cost-of-living pressures and inflation. The big supermarkets are reliable targets.
Unlike Hillary Clinton, the Democratic candidate does not intend to attract votes for the ground-breaking achievement of becoming the first female US...
The market and the miners were primed for good news from Beijing but they didn’t get it. Now it’s back to basics – or bids like Rio Tinto’s...
The risk of greater conflagration in the Middle East is keeping the world on edge, and Australia is no exception.
The country might be well out of target range in the Middle East but its suddenly fragile social fabric is being severely tested.
J.D. Vance wanted to come across as a nice guy while making Donald Trump’s policies sound sensible. The real nice guy, Tim Walz, tried to challenge...
Israel’s push into Lebanon ensures a greater fraying of any complacency about this country’s claims to enjoy enduring social cohesion over...
Jim Chalmers is claiming credit for delivering two budget surpluses in a row. He’s less keen to explain how much the high level of income tax...
Jim Chalmers and Anthony Albanese face much tougher questions about their economic agenda than the confusion about negative gearing and capital gains...
The real story is that the government is desperately looking for a way out of the political dead end that has stalled any momentum in its drive to an...
Jim Chalmers claims “welcome and encouraging progress” in the fight against inflation. The Reserve Bank disagrees, writes Jennifer Hewett.
The big supermarket chains have already lost the public relations war over the ACCC’s allegations of fake discounts. What’s the next move?
Energy minister Chris Bowen doesn’t think hybrids offer a real advance in the transition to electric cars. Drivers disagree, and the road to a pure...
The CFMEU rallies are the obvious signs of turmoil behind the scenes as a government-appointed administrator struggles to deal with union threats.
The Albanese government is under siege from a business community alienated from Canberra and dismayed by the lack of an economic agenda to drive...
The Coalition will almost certainly not agree to pass the bill next week, even if there are further negotiations and minor concessions from Labor.
The powerhouse industry is aghast at the government’s policies on industrial relations and environmental changes and has broken diplomatic cover to...
The housing crisis has been years in the making. Clare O’Neil only has months to persuade Australians the federal government is actually doing...
Jim Chalmers says the weakness of the economy justifies high government spending. He doesn’t want voters to link that with interest rates and...
Most people have never heard of the Sabina Shoal, but it’s become the latest global testing ground for confrontation with China. Will it trigger...