Frank Shostak Frank Shostak is an Associated Scholar of the Mises Institute. His consulting firm, Applied Austrian School Economics, provides in-depth assessments and reports of financial markets and global economies. mises.org Popular thinking says that lending is banking activity. Banks are believed to be responsible for the expansion of
Back in the 2000s, Howard and Costello had the good fortune to govern during a mining boom and its consequent river of royalties gold. John Howard and Peter Costello wisely banked budget surpluses for the future. Then Kevin Rudd and Wayne Swan blew the lot and threw the country back
Simon Angelo Editor, Wealth Morning Wealth Morning is New Zealand’s leading independent publisher of specialist financial and investment news. We are focused on covering critical issues that directly impact financial and economic health. www.WealthMorning.com **This article is the author’s personal opinion and commentary. It is general
Don Brash Don Brash was Reserve Bank Governor from 1988 to 2002, and National Party Leader from 2003 to 2006 bassettbrashandhide.com There was a rather revealing headline in the Herald on Sunday today (12 May). It read “One in 8 Auckland homes on market were bought during boom, may
Viv Forbes BScApp, FAusImm, FSIA. Viv Forbes is the Executive Director of the Saltbush Club and Founder of the Carbon Sense Coalition. He has no investments in or contracts with coal or cement companies. But he is a geologist and has studied the rocks of the Bowen Basin and parts
Although not a great fan of popular music and culture, I do occasionally respect certain talented people: Mott the Hoople (of course), Paul French (history’s most underrated songwriter) and Don Walker (the brains behind the Australian band Cold Chisel) immediately spring to mind. Walker once wrote a song “Telephone
A $70,000 app to help Hamilton City Council staff with te reo has one councillor calling for closer scrutiny of “pet projects” as ratepayers face an unprecedented rates rise. He Pou Koorero – an app “designed to help people on their te reo journey” – will be launched this month and
Javier Milei Javier Milei is Argentina’s first-ever libertarian president. He is a graduate in Economics from the University of Belgrano. He completed a postgraduate degree in Economic Theory at the Institute of Economic and Social Development and a postgraduate degree in Economics at the Universidad Torcuato Di Tella. fee.
Last week Sean Plunket had on his show a couple of self-styled “investment advisors”. Taking a look at their website, they appear to be life insurance salesmen who also peddle KiwiSaver (hardly Warren Buffett). Another red flag casting doubt upon their usefulness was some of the things they said to
Michael Ryan Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not immune to this issue. Reserve Bank governor Adrian Orr has said a
Bryce Edwards Political Analyst in Residence, director of the Democracy Project, School of Government, Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington democracyproject.nz Many criticisms are being made of the government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has
Rebekah Barnett Rebekah Barnett is a Brownstone Institute fellow, independent journalist and advocate for Australians injured by the Covid vaccines. She holds a BA in Communications from the University of Western Australia, and writes for her Substack, Dystopian Down Under. brownstone.org As part of its pandemic response, the Australian
Saul Zimet fee.org Saul Zimet is a Hazlitt Fellow at the Foundation for Economic Education and a graduate student in economics at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice at the City University of New York. In Dallas, Texas, an assortment of particularly risk-tolerant graduate students sat around a
Robert Hamlin Senior lecturer in marketing, University of Otago A multi-billion dollar stadium precinct has been proposed for Auckland, one of three proposals in front of Auckland Council for a new stadium in the city. The council is also considering revamping Eden Park. But is a new stadium really value
A curious thing emerged during the 1980s that has continued through to the present day. In popular music, Whitney Houston’s “Saving All My Love for You”, started the trend of yodelling. You can hear them all doing it if you listen closely. In acting, Michael J Fox in Back
Michael Cook Michael Cook is the editor in chief of Mercator. He lives in Sydney, Australia. mercatornet.com The Titanic sank after it collided with an unseen iceberg. Western societies with low birthrates are steaming straight towards an iceberg in broad daylight. But they refuse to change course. The problem
