Global Economy
Fed rate hike: time now for central banks to go back to basics on monetary policy
Ever since the 'taper tantrum' in May 2013, global financial markets have been on tenterhooks, anxiously anticipating the first increase in US interest rates in almost a decade…
IMF reforms pass Congress but too late to salvage US leadership credentials
The US Congress has finally passed long awaited IMF governance reforms. President Obama claimed it as a victory for the White House that will strengthen 'America's leadership of…
The Korea FTA, one year on: Those touting the benefits are cherrypicking results
Happy first birthday to the Korean Free Trade Agreement (KAFTA), which came into effect on 12 December last year. At the time, Trade Minister Andrew Robb said:
KAFTA will…
Australia and the US: good friends can sometimes differ in global economic diplomacy
It's not often that Canberra's senior bureaucrats provide a sustained critique of the functioning of global economic diplomacy. But Martin Parkinson did just that a week ago in…
The tyranny of technology: time to change old systems to align with new realities
In September this year, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were agreed upon by world leaders in New York and this month, countries will attempt to agree on a global deal…
Memory loss: China's high stakes gamble in the tech industry's bloodiest segment
China is entering memory chips, the bloodiest segment in the technology industry. This could get interesting.
The 'memory wars' of the 1980s were viewed at the time as a…
Why DFAT is wrong on the opportunity cost of FTAs
Last month the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) secretary, Peter Varghese, had this to say about Australia’s participation in the global movement toward preferential…
IMF's yuan decision: why it matters and why some are not pleased
On the 30th of November, the IMF announced its decision to include the Chinese yuan in the Special Drawing Rights (SDR) basket.
Terrific, I hear you say, yet another TLA to…
Douglass North and the Trans-Pacific Partnership
Now that the terms of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) have been agreed, the participant countries have to decide whether to ratify the deal. In assessing the benefits, where…
Decoding China's GOOD approach to the G20
With this year's summit season coming to an end, Turkey will officially hand over the G20 hosting baton to China on 1 December 2015. The Hangzhou Leaders' Summit has already been…