Editor's Picks

The central banks' race against the machines
Alan Kohler
This week's RBA and ECB rate decisions are the banks' best efforts in their fight against the impact of automation on employment, wages and inflation - and the deflationary spiral that happened last time around.

Westfield Retail: a guide to the choice
Robert Gottliebsen
Whether they like it or not, Westfield Retail Trust shareholders must now choose between Lowy’s Plan A, or the belatedly-announced Plan B. The importance of UniSuper’s stance is increasingly clear.

A focus on GDP misses the bigger picture
Callam Pickering
Strong growth in export volumes will give the Reserve Bank a reason to smile, but the narrowness of Australia's drivers of growth is already a cause for concern.

Second prize isn't so bad for Stockland
Stephen Bartholomeusz
It would be hard for Stockland to justify an upwardly-revised bid for Australand in light of Frasers Centrepoint's offer, but the prospect of making a profit from selling its stake could provide some consolation.

Inaction takes a heavy toll on the eurozone
Callam Pickering
Quantitative easing might give some much-needed momentum to the eurozone in the near term, but sluggish wage pressures and the limited impact of a lower currency will see inflation remain weak.

Airlines are running themselves into the ground
Stephen Bartholomeusz
The IATA’s latest report shows the aviation industry is generating returns below the cost of its capital, but airlines continue to add capacity. For Qantas, this means more cost-cutting and no chance of a growth dividend.

Remembering Tiananmen, 25 years on
Peter Cai
A quarter of a century after the bloody crackdown in Tiananmen Square, China is yet to face up to this dark period of its history.

A bad time for households to tighten the purse strings
Callam Pickering
Growth continues to be driven largely by resource exports, leaving the economy vulnerable to the whims of China. Household consumption is needed to support growth, but the outlook is far from pretty.

The three-in-one Aussie device that could kill the PC
Hannah Francis
More than 30 years ago, Terry Crews invented one of world's first laptops. Now he's back with the 'Swiss army knife' of communications systems, the Unity tablet.

When the lights go out in bureaucrats brains
Tristan Edis
Public service guardians of the energy market seem to forget everything they love about markets as they push incumbent generators' argument that a renewable energy induced oversupply will somehow mean power blackouts.

Is this the blueprint for Australia's new welfare system?
Harrison Polites
Here's a primer on New Zealand's reformed welfare system, which has been identified as a role model for Canberra's own plans.

Most read

Abbott gets a Senate shelling on the JSF
Robert Gottliebsen
Senator Scott Ludlam's grilling of Defence chiefs has revealed that Abbott misled Australians on Joint Strike Fighters. But there’s still time to stop the disastrous plan.

Most commented

Abbott takes aim at Australia’s foot
Alan Kohler
Don't be fooled by a strong GDP result. There are clouds on the economic horizon, which will darken as the government continues to batter consumer confidence while exports are under pressure.