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Peter Martin1

Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
Peter Martin is Business and Economy Editor of The Conversation and a visiting fellow at the Crawford School of Public Policy at the ANU.

A former Treasury official with an honours degree in economics, he has worked as the economics correspondent for ABC radio, as the ABC's Tokyo correspondent and as economics editor of The Age.

With Dr Gigi Foster of UNSW he created The Economists podcast on ABC Radio National. In 2016 he was made a Distinguished Alumni of Flinders University in recognition of his contribution to the community's understanding of economics.

Would you pay to quit TikTok and Instagram? You’d be surprised how many would

Jul 24, 2024 11:38 am UTC| Insights & Views Technology

Social media is a problem for economists. They dont know how to value it. It has long been argued that it ought to be in the national accounts as part of gross domestic product. One 2019 study estimated Facebook alone...

The Chemist Warehouse deal is a sideshow: pharmacies are ripe for bigger disruption

Jun 20, 2024 05:28 am UTC| Business

Theres something curious about the proposed merger between Chemist Warehouse and Sigma Healthcare. Chemist Warehouse has about 550 retail pharmacies. Sigma has another 400. Yet the law limits owners to just a handful...

Spare us the talk about a wages explosion. There’s nothing wrong with lifting Australia’s lowest wages in line with inflation

Jun 05, 2024 04:07 am UTC| Economy

What is it with the Coalition and wages? When, in the final days of the 2022 election campaign, the then opposition leader Anthony Albanese backed an increase in award wages to keep pace with inflation, his opposite...

Top economists take a modest view of the budget, and doubt inflation will fall as planned

May 27, 2024 06:33 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy

Asked to grade Treasurer Jim Chalmers third budget on his own criteria of delivering on inflation in the near term and then growth in the medium term, most of the 49 leading economists surveyed by the Economic Society of...

Central Banking Series

If the RBA’s right, interest rates may not fall for another year. Here’s why.

May 08, 2024 11:04 am UTC| Economy Central Banks

The Reserve Bank is now assuming Australians will see no interest rate cuts this year and quite possibly none before the next federal election, due next May. Thats a big change compared to just three months ago. Back...

Beyond the spin, beyond the handouts, here’s how to get a handle on what’s really happening on budget night

Apr 25, 2024 06:11 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy

Three weeks from now, some of us will be presented with a mountain of budget papers, and just about all of us will get to hear about them on radio, TV or news websites on budget night. The quickest way to find out what...

Economists say Australia shouldn’t try to transition to net zero by aping the mammoth US Inflation Reduction Act

Mar 18, 2024 09:00 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy

Australias top economists are pressing Prime Minister Anthony Albanese not to ape US President Joe Bidens think big approach to clean energy. Bidens so-called Inflation Reduction Act dubbed the largest climate...

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Economy

Putin Weighs Economic Strains Amid Trump’s Push for Ukraine Peace

Russian President Vladimir Putin is increasingly concerned about the economic pressures of the ongoing Ukraine war, as former U.S. President Donald Trump, back in office, pushes for a resolution to the conflict. While...

Dollar Holds Steady Amid Tariff Speculations and Rate Decision Anticipation

The U.S. dollar remained steady against major currencies on Thursday, continuing its muted performance over the past two days as markets awaited clarity on tariff policies from U.S. President Donald Trump. Investors are...

China Boosts Stock Market with Major Investments and Policy Support

China has announced plans to inject hundreds of billions of yuan into its equity markets annually, aiming to bolster investor confidence. In the first half of the year, state-owned insurers will invest at least 100 billion...

Singapore Inflation Eases to Over Three-Year Low in December

Singapore's core inflation rose 1.8% in December, exceeding economists' forecast of 1.7%, but marking the lowest level since November 2021, when it was 1.6%. Headline inflation reached 1.6%, slightly above the expected...

Oil Prices Dip Amid Higher U.S. Output, Trump Policies, and Inventory Concerns

Oil prices edged lower in Asian trade Thursday, extending recent declines as traders braced for higher U.S. crude production under President Donald Trump. Brent futures slipped 0.3% to $78.80 per barrel, while WTI futures...

Politics

Elon Musk Criticizes President Trump’s $500B Stargate AI Project

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has voiced doubts over the financial feasibility of President Donald Trumps $500 billion Stargate project, unveiled Tuesday. The initiative aims to establish an advanced artificial intelligence (AI)...

Trump’s Commerce Nominee Howard Lutnick to Face Senate Hearing

The Senate Commerce Committee will hold a January 29 hearing on President Donald Trumps nominee, Howard Lutnick, to lead the Commerce Department. As head of Cantor Fitzgerald and BGC Group, Lutnick has built a prominent...

Macron and Scholz Address U.S. Trade Tensions in Paris Meeting

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met in Paris on Wednesday to emphasize European unity as the continent faces tariff threats from U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump, who has criticized...

South Korean President Faces Indictment for Martial Law Declaration

South Koreas anti-corruption agency has requested prosecutors indict President Yoon Suk Yeol for insurrection and abuse of power following his brief declaration of martial law on December 3. The Corruption Investigation...

DOJ Freezes Civil Rights Litigation from Biden Era

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has paused civil rights litigation initiated during the administration of former President Joe Biden, according to an internal memo reviewed by Reuters. The directive halts ongoing...

Science

Most of us trust scientists, shows a survey of nearly 72,000 people worldwide

Public trust in scientists is vital. It can help us with personal decisions on matters like health and provide evidence-based policymaking to assist governments with crises such as the COVID pandemic or climate change. In...

Astronauts on NASA’s Artemis mission to the Moon will need better boots − here’s why

The U.S.s return to the Moon with NASAs Artemis program will not be a mere stroll in the park. Instead it will be a perilous journey to a lunar location representing one of the most extreme environments in the solar...

Why Africa’s young scientists should help check the quality of climate change research

Scientific research is essential for addressing the climate crisis. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a United Nations body, assesses the science on climate change through its regular assessment...

White House Office of Science and Technology Policy provides in-house science advice for the president

Presidents need science advice. From climate change and pandemics to the governance of AI and the countrys nuclear arsenal, science sits at the center of a range of foreign and domestic policy challenges that reach the...

Double Moonshot: Japan’s ispace and Firefly Launch Lunar Missions

In a significant stride for lunar exploration, Japanese company ispace and U.S.-based Firefly Aerospace launched moon landers aboard a SpaceX rocket from Florida. This rare double mission highlights the growing competition...

Technology

Tesla to Raise Car Prices in Canada Starting February 1

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) is set to increase prices for all its vehicles in Canada beginning February 1, as per updates on its Canadian website. The price adjustments will affect the popular Model 3, Model Y, Model S, and Model...

Meta Joins $10 Billion Databricks Funding Round Amid AI Boom

Meta Joins $10 Billion Databricks Funding Round Amid AI Boom Databricks announced that Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) participated in its $10 billion Series J funding round, valuing the data analytics startup at $62 billion....

HTC Sells XR Unit to Google for $250 Million

Taiwans HTC announced it will sell part of its extended reality (XR) division to Google for $250 million. The deal, expected to close in the first quarter of 2025, will see some HTC employees join Google, enhancing the...

LinkedIn Faces Lawsuit Over Data Use for AI Training

Microsofts LinkedIn is facing a proposed class-action lawsuit, accused of sharing private messages from Premium users without permission to train generative AI models. The complaint, filed in federal court in San Jose,...

SoftBank and OpenAI Lead $19B Investments in Stargate AI Initiative

SoftBank Group Corp. (TYO:9984) and OpenAI have each pledged $19 billion to Stargate, a groundbreaking technology initiative focused on AI data centers, The Information reports. OpenAI and SoftBank will each hold a 40%...