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economy

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Interest rates and banks

Written By: - Date published: 9:43 am, March 16th, 2016 - 185 comments

Yesterday Andrew Little criticised the banks’ failure to pass on the cut in Official Cash Rate (OCR) to we the people via mortgage / interest rate cuts. Naturally the political right went ballistic.

Key fiddles while dairy industry burns

Written By: - Date published: 9:27 am, March 16th, 2016 - 46 comments

The dairy crisis is escalating with a further drop in prices occurring overnight. And John Key has chosen to defend the Government’s handling of the crisis by attacking Andrew Little.  He would be better off explaining what his Government is doing to address what is becoming a crisis.

Safe As Milk

Written By: - Date published: 1:44 pm, March 14th, 2016 - 110 comments

Labour is calling for an urgent summit of the dairy industry players to avoid the looming bankruptcy of one in ten farmers. National’s response? Crisis, what crisis?

Labour considering Unconditional Basic Income

Written By: - Date published: 12:43 pm, March 14th, 2016 - 361 comments

As with capital gains tax, the political left is kicking off a very important discussion for NZ.

Quantitative easing for the masses

Written By: - Date published: 8:25 am, March 13th, 2016 - 136 comments

It seems that “serious economists” are discussing something called “helicopter money”. Would it fly in NZ?

Norman on the economy

Written By: - Date published: 8:03 am, March 12th, 2016 - 58 comments

Russel Norman was right in 2014 when he said that the Nats were daft to gamble on oil and bulk milk production, and he’s right again now to draw attention to the failures. We need a green economy!

Economic anger and political madness

Written By: - Date published: 7:28 am, March 11th, 2016 - 66 comments

History clearly shows us that when people are economically stressed they turn to extreme action and extreme leaders. Economist Jared Bernstein argues that the Trump ascendancy is another example of this.

RB snaps awake, jolts markets

Written By: - Date published: 3:06 pm, March 10th, 2016 - 49 comments

Simon Louisson on the Reserve Bank’s surprise announcement to reduce the official cash rate by 25 points.

The minimum wage is not a living wage

Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, March 1st, 2016 - 110 comments

Credit where it’s due for an increase in the minimum wage – but the gap between that and a living wage keeps growing…

National the party of economic lunacy

Written By: - Date published: 10:02 am, February 10th, 2016 - 166 comments

A “$17 billion hole in the economy”. An estimated $18 billion lost because National stopped investing in the super fund. A record national debt. And we’re still talking about tax cuts? Lunacy!

Jobs and wages

Written By: - Date published: 8:46 am, February 6th, 2016 - 54 comments

Boring stuff about boring old jobs and wages.

So, how would you spend $1.2B per year?

Written By: - Date published: 3:23 pm, February 1st, 2016 - 84 comments

A Kiwi Kids allowance for all under fives, with totally fee free public primary and secondary schools.

Postcards from the brighter future

Written By: - Date published: 8:37 am, January 31st, 2016 - 18 comments

Part of an occasional series.

Anyone seen the rockstar economy lately?

Written By: - Date published: 10:30 am, January 28th, 2016 - 56 comments

Bill English reviews the economy

Record debt, a higher than expected deficit and a credit rating downgrade on our economic outlook. All thanks to National’s genius economic management!

The great big list of John Key’s big fat lies (UPDATED)

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, January 27th, 2016 - 79 comments

How many more lies will John Key tell today in his so-called State of the Nation address? Virtual chocolate fish to whomever guesses the closest number.

TPPA ‘National Interest Analysis’ – get both sides

Written By: - Date published: 1:27 pm, January 26th, 2016 - 86 comments

The Government has released a TPPA ‘National Interest Analysis’. It should be read along with TPP Legal’s extensive analysis of the costs and risks.

Keep Calm and Carry On

Written By: - Date published: 9:13 am, January 25th, 2016 - 135 comments

Regular commenter Paul rounds up the links you need to read to prepare yourself for the coming second GFC. National won’t be able to pass this one on to future generations by loading NZ up with crippling debt. We’ll be paying for GFC2 economically, socially and personally, right here, right now.

2015 hottest year. By. Far.

Written By: - Date published: 9:55 am, January 21st, 2016 - 232 comments

2015-heat-map

Skill shortages and reaping what you sow

Written By: - Date published: 10:00 am, January 18th, 2016 - 114 comments

Data released to the Sunday Star-Times shows a huge decline in numbers of tertiary students, including declines in many key skills and fields. Various explanations are offered, only one of them makes sense…

The unexpected oil crisis

Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, January 16th, 2016 - 186 comments

The world is currently facing a problem that even a few years ago was unthinkable.  Oil is cheap and demand has dropped out of the market.  What are the geopolitical implications of this?

National’s vision for New Zealand’s future

Written By: - Date published: 11:28 am, January 12th, 2016 - 94 comments

Stephen Joyce has had published an opinion piece in this morning’s Herald which extolls the virtue of free trade and ignores the pitfalls.  Such as those shown this week when TransCanada sued the US Government for rejecting the Keystone XL pipeline contract.

Why are we working so hard?

Written By: - Date published: 11:42 am, January 10th, 2016 - 46 comments

A recent New Matilda article discusses why at a time of increasing productivity the need to work has increased and not decreased.

The China Stockmarket crisis

Written By: - Date published: 12:08 pm, January 5th, 2016 - 103 comments

Overnight there has been further turmoil on the Chinese Stock exchange with stocks plummeting 7% before trading was stopped. And things may only get worse when a 6 month ban on trading by major stock owners is lifted.

Summer break

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, December 19th, 2015 - 46 comments

Standardista authors are on summer break! There will be an Open Mike each day, but little or no other posting (unless an author feels particularly inspired). Here’s some summer reading suggestions – by all means add your own…

International Labour Organisation on Austerity

Written By: - Date published: 8:38 am, November 21st, 2015 - 10 comments

An International Labour Organisation (ILO) report warns that austerity measured are an international threat to jobs and growth.

Read my lips – some new taxes

Written By: - Date published: 11:23 am, November 20th, 2015 - 29 comments

new-taxes

Inequality is a choice

Written By: - Date published: 7:10 am, November 10th, 2015 - 65 comments

Inequality is a choice. It isn’t a choice made by individuals, it is a choice made by governments. Check out Joseph Stiglitz’s new book Rewriting the Rules of the American Economy: An Agenda for Growth and Shared Prosperity.

Useless on unemployment

Written By: - Date published: 7:02 am, November 6th, 2015 - 73 comments

“Less debt more jobs” says National’s billboard. Instead we good the opposite. With extra helpings of icing on this Cake of Fail.

Sobriety

Written By: - Date published: 9:08 am, October 26th, 2015 - 10 comments

The video excerpt comes from the Yann Arthus-Bertrand film ‘Human’. It’s available to view on youtube.

Another financial crisis?

Written By: - Date published: 8:14 am, October 19th, 2015 - 102 comments

There are a lot of canaries giving warning in the world’s economic coal mine just now.

Surplus explained

Written By: - Date published: 11:03 am, October 16th, 2015 - 26 comments

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