S. Korea's exports plummet by 10.3% in 2019

Dec 19, 2020 23:52 pm UTC| Economy

South Korea exported $541.2 billion worth of goods in 2019, down 10.3 percent from 2018 the previous year due to sluggish overseas demand for semiconductors, data from Statistics Korea and the Korea Customs Service...

Sweden and Japan are paying the price for COVID exceptionalism

Dec 19, 2020 09:57 am UTC| Economy

One of the most striking things about the COVID-19 pandemic is just how dramatically different the responses have been from country to country. In early 2020, when little was known about the virus, this difference was...

Chance for genuine industrial relations reform thrown under the omnibus

Dec 17, 2020 11:50 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy

When Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the formation of five working groups of employers, unions and government officials in June 2020, he signalled an unexpected twist to industrial relations reform. Some...

Global Geopolitics Series

As China's trade war with Australia shows, New Zealand must be careful to balance its own economic priorities

Dec 17, 2020 11:23 am UTC| Economy

New Zealand and China are being pushed toward further regional economic integration as part of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) signed last month. On the face of it, the RCEP is a positive step for...

Footing the COVID-19 bill: economic case for tax hike on wealthy

Dec 17, 2020 11:17 am UTC| Governance Economy

Governments shouldnt be worried that raising taxes on the rich will harm their economies when deciding on how to pay for COVID-19. Our new research on 18 advanced economies shows that major tax cuts for the rich over the...

Real estate prices are reaching record highs but that doesn't mean it's the only time to sell

Dec 17, 2020 11:08 am UTC| Real Estate Economy

The real estate sector has unexpectedly thrived during the pandemic. In the last few months, property prices have broken one record after another, climbing to unprecedented heights. In times of recession, when...

Negative Rates Series

Negative rates explained: how money for (less than) nothing is helping out the budget

Dec 17, 2020 11:07 am UTC| Economy

A week ahead of Thursdays budget update, it finally happened. Instead of the government paying to borrow in a way that would add to the burden on the budget (as has happened since time immemorial) it actually got paid...