More space needed

Far out, step away for a day and the place goes nuts! A big welcome back to Poochy (Peachy?) and NoMansLand! I can’t say I read the whole last thread, but it seems like mix of interesting and useful contributions and a flame war. I’m especially impressed with Stewie’s ability to recall and locate old … Read more

The future is not the past

Interesting Russian fertility data. After collapse in 1990s, bottoming in 2000, Russian fertility has been rising ever since, but may be stalling. Obviously a degree of prosperity and comfort is necessary for people to want to breed given they have choice in a contraceptive culture. The time of elites relying on taxing the excess profits … Read more

A few trade stats and some other stuff

50% of Australia’s exports are from mining and another 18% from “energy”. https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/BriefingBook47p/AustralianTradeFigures Volumes are forecast to go up to 2029, but prices and net export earnings are expected to fall https://www.industry.gov.au/publications/resources-and-energy-quarterly-march-2024 Remittances currently took about USD 5 billion from our current account in 2022. That’s more than this year’s entire current account deficit. Also, … Read more

They hate you

Following comment disappearance, I have resorted to making a post MB goes off it’s nut in “ABC positions Annabel for numberless immigration barrage”. https://www.macrobusiness.com.au/2024/06/abc-sites-annabel-for-numberless-immigration-barrage/ They still don’t get it. A long essay that demonstrates they think that the readership, the electorate and the polity in general respond to reason. That time is long past, if … Read more

An open letter to Madeline King

My MP, Madeline King, sent me this in an email: Last week, the Albanese Labor Government set out the next steps in our plan to endfamily, domestic and sexual violence in a generation – and I wanted to makesure you heard a bit more about it. Too many women in Brand, and across Australia are … Read more

Where to get quality news for free?

I first went to MB when Alan Kohler’s site (forgot its name) became the paid for “Eureka report”. Then MB went paid, and I was happy to pay at first. Then most zerohedge’s good stuff became paid as “the market ear”. Bloomberg went paid. The ABC went so far left that I can’t even read … Read more

Woke “capitalism” will destroy capital.

While Australian media tend to portray oil, gas and coal as dinosaur industries destined to go bankrupt, other, more savvy commentators point out that they are more likely to become highly profitable with increased margin, just like tobacco companies since the 1990s. https://www.wsj.com/articles/for-big-oils-future-look-to-big-tobaccos-past-11643298756 https://www.barrons.com/articles/what-oil-companies-can-learn-from-big-tobacco-51577791801 But investors in Woodside seem determined to cripple it by forcing … Read more

Was coming right?

It seems more people, some credible, are arguing that higher interest rates are stimulative right now, to a point. From bloomberg via yahoo: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/fed-rate-hikes-actually-sparking-120000966.html Didn’t coming say something like higher interest rates are inflationary? Can anyone remember exactly what coming said about this and where? I haven’t kept any links.

Demographer Liz Allen proposes massive ramp up of supply in food after leaving supermarket shelves empty at her local Coles and Woolworths

Liz Allen has yet again departed from her weekly grocery trip leaving the supermarket aisles at the Canberra Civic Coles/Woolworths (she visited both) completely empty, at least in the chips/snacks/lollies and soft drinks aisles. When confronted on what the solution should be so that there could be more food available following these events Allen responded … Read more