Tumbling iron ore price dampens economy, but lockdowns hitting SMEs harder
Australia’s largest export source has suffered a blow after prices of iron ore tumbled by more than 50% over the last two months.
Labour force statistics show the unemployment rate has become meaningless
Australia’s labour force statistics for August again make the case for giving up on the rate of unemployment as an indicator of the state of the labour market.
Small businesses in ‘survival’ mode as access to finance remains a pain point
Small and medium businesses are bearing the brunt of ongoing lockdowns and many are now in “wait, survive and see” mode, says Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe.
The Greens’ super-profit tax idea may not be the winner that it seems to be
The Greens Party has proposed a “tycoon tax” that would tax so-called super-profits made by companies with annual turnovers of more than $100 million.
RBA forecasts show Australia won’t recoup last year’s real wage cuts until later this decade
The RBA thinks we're heading for the same rut of low wages growth as before the pandemic. That leaves workers behind and unlikely to catch up for a long time.
Economists say there is light at the end of the lockdown tunnel, but it all hinges on vaccinations
These economists are not wholly pessimistic about the outcomes for SMEs, and say the return to economic growth is paved with vaccines.
Australia’s inflation rate is the highest in years — but it’s still below RBA target
Australia is out of step with other advanced economies as inflation jumps, leaving the Reserve Bank's preferred measures wanting.
Here’s why the federal government won’t bring back JobKeeper
Despite the constant demands for the restoration of JobKeeper, the government is holding fire and instead trying to gauge the scale of the economic hit of Sydney's lockdown to the wider economy.
Sydney’s ongoing lockdowns will see inflation data spike as growth continues to drag down
A big inflation number is expected tomorrow — right as Australia's growth is about to vanish. It's a dose of something we haven't seen much of since the 1970s.
Recession or not, the latest lockdowns will end RBA’s hope to boost wages
Suddenly we're talking about a recession that no one suspected a week ago, as lockdowns crush the economy. But the real impacts will be on monetary policy.
“When small business suffers, Australia suffers”: Jason Murphy on the cost of lockdowns
By this stage of the pandemic, weary small and medium business owners know the majority of the downside falls on them.
As lockdowns continue, Australia’s unemployment rate hits decade low of 4.9%
The latest jobs figures show Australia’s unemployment rate in June fell below 5% for the first time in a decade. So what does that tell us about the state of the economy?
