Editor's Picks

Currency wars: Australia - 0; US - 1
Alan Kohler
While the RBA continues to whine about the exchange rate, savers are being used as cannon fodder, with retirees mercilessly thrown in front of the gunfire of low yields and high costs.

The delicate balancing act of Australia's big four banks
Stephen Bartholomeusz
Our major banks are among the most cost-efficient and profitable in the world, but calls for increased competition in the sector could threaten the very stability that saw them emerge from the GFC unscathed.

Who will stop the dollar's carnage?
Robert Gottliebsen
Australia's rising dollar is causing tremendous damage to our export industries, but the RBA can't cut rates further for fear of creating a property bubble. The government can no longer sit back and hope for a miracle.

The industries next in line for an ‘age of entitlement’ crackdown
Harrison Polites
Just how far is the Coalition willing to go to reduce corporate welfare?

Setting the stage lights for Europe’s second crisis
Oliver Marc Hartwich
The success of the eurozone's stopgap measures has merely reduced the pressure to reform. Now political shifts are laying the foundations for another blow-up.

The urgency of Abbott’s federation shake-up
Rob Burgess
As Australia's prosperity endures on borrowed time, the government must get on the front foot and use all channels available to ensure its best ideas for reform can thrive.

The jobs picture is starting to look ugly
Callam Pickering
Rising structural unemployment is an unfortunate reality of the economy's rebalancing away from mining investment, but the pain isn't just limited to the resource sector.

Will China's anti-corruption campaign derail the economy?
Peter Cai
Xi Jinping's crusade against corruption may dampen domestic demand in the short-term but will ultimately serve the long-term interests of the economy and the Communist Party.

Corruption is par for the course in China
Fergus Ryan
China's local governments are cashing in on 'green opium' despite a decade-long ban on building new golf courses, highlighting a central tension between the nation's economic and environmental development.

Big Mac takes a bite of the mortgage market
Stephen Bartholomeusz
Macquarie is driving remarkable growth in its mortgage book as part of its post-GFC strategy. If its growth rates are sustained, it could become a disruptive force in the retail banking market.

Most commented

Could a 'defeatist' budget work again?
Rob Burgess
Horror budgeting' has helped Australia in the past, when conditions were starkly different. But Joseph Stiglitz’s modern take says one piece of the puzzle is missing.

Most read

Beware the economic perils of populist Palmer
Callam Pickering
It's all fun and games when populist politicians play sport with policy. They're not the ones who have to pick up the pieces.