International reading:
- Trump rushed into Iran crisis meeting as insider warns ‘strike within hours’ – Daily Mail
- The Fed just casually dropped $18.5 billion into the banking system this week. – FRED
- Fed confirms it obeyed White House request for an unusual ‘rate check,’ weakening the dollar against foreign currencies – Fortune
- US trade deficit declined in 2025, but gap for goods hits a record despite Trump tariffs – AP News
- US trade deficit swells in December as imports surge – Aljazeera
- Russia economy in freefall as state-owned firm racks up huge debt – Express
- Billionaires’ Low Taxes Are Becoming a Problem for the Economy – WSJ
- Walmart’s sales are increasingly driven by higher-income shoppers – NBC
- Elon Musk’s Tesla Sales Down 55% in UK, 58% in Spain, 59% in Germany, 81% in Netherlands, 93% in Norway vs. 2024 – Clean Technica
- Trump Mulls a North American Trade Pact Without Canada – NY Times
- US Unsecured Loan Balances Hit Record High on Demand from Subprime Customers – Reuters
- Oil prices are already starting to jump as threat of war against Iran lingers – Independent
- The ‘boomcession’: Why Americans feel left behind by a growing economy – CNBC
Local Reading:
- Nearly 20% fewer lower socioeconomic students studying law as Pocock calls to scrap Morrison-era job-ready scheme – The Guardian
- Pedestrian deaths just reached an 18-year high. Bull bars are part of the problem – The Conversation
- Coles’ shameless ‘Down Down’ promotions have been exposed. So why aren’t they even trying to rebuild trust? – The Guardian
- Consumer watchdog concerned by rise of per-item prices at Australian supermarkets – The Guardian
- Alcoa fined $55 million for illegal forest clearing, gets green light to clear more Jarrah trees – Renew Economy
- Federal MPs accept free sport tickets from gambling companies amid calls to restrict wagering ads – The Guardian
- SA secures Australian MotoGP, world-first street circuit announced – ABC
- For salty South Australians, motorsport revenge is oh so sweet – ABC News
- As real wage growth falls again, Australian workers must feel the economy is rigged against them – The Guardian
- Council scraps four-day work week plan after backlash – ABC
- Private health premiums to rise at fastest rate in almost a decade – ABC
- Give growth a chance – Interest.co.nz
- Big political donations fast out of the gates in election year – Interest.co.nz
- RBNZ not planning OCR hikes until it sees more inflation & stronger economy, sees flat house prices – Interest.co.nz
- Overheating American economy may derail our recovery – Interest.co.nz
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MB Media Appearances:
DLS in news.com.au: Could this be the end of iron ore? An expert weighs in
LVO’s latest podcast with Catherine Cashmore from Land Cycle Investor unpacks the latest strong housing finance data and Cotality’s report suggesting the rental crisis will worsen. He also explains how Canada has solved its rental crisis by slashing immigration and show how Australia has massively exceeded its population targets, driving the rental shortage.
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Last weekend’s Treasury of Common Sense on Radio 2GB/4BC lashes Australia’s policymakers for refusing to take the pressure off housing rents and prices by lowering immigration to sensible and sustainable levels.
