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Richard Holden

Richard Holden

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Chalmers is wrong. The worst is not behind us, it is yet to come

Not only are there no plans to increase productivity and hence living standards, the budget actively makes this harder.

25.03.2025 1

Financial Review

Richard Holden

Trump could target our healthcare system next. We don’t need to panic

If there are retaliatory tariffs because of standing up for our PBS jewel, so be it. That would be unfortunate and unfair, but Australia can weather...

21.03.2025 20

Financial Review

Richard Holden

Productivity problem empowers populist right

We had better get our act together in Australia or we may court the kind of poisonous politics wreaking havoc in the United States and across Europe.

18.03.2025 7

Financial Review

Richard Holden

Budget is not in shape for age of uncertainty

Australia’s fiscal position is anything but healthy. If we don’t take serious action soon we will be unable to respond to global shocks – which...

03.03.2025 10

Financial Review

Richard Holden

Bullock and the board playing dice with Australia’s economy

The Australian public needs more than a good luck charm to finally tame inflation and our ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

18.02.2025 6

Financial Review

Richard Holden

Ross Gittins’ rebuke of economics today is wrong, silly and offensive

Ross Gittins is a legend of Australian journalism. But his column on Monday was a shocker. I guess even legends can be wrong.

05.02.2025 30

Financial Review

Richard Holden

How Australia’s gas boom turned into a nightmare

Our nation exports gas – but now we’re paying the price as a result of a huge and entirely predictable bipartisan policy failure.

03.02.2025 4

Financial Review

Richard Holden

Albanese must learn from these 3 mistakes of Bidenomics

If the prime minister doesn’t change his approach quickly he will face the same fate as the outgoing US president. Booted out of office, and with a...

20.01.2025 8

Financial Review

Richard Holden

RBA should not bow to political pressure for February rate cut

Giving in to the pile-on by Labor-aligned commentators calling for cuts would be a bad look and would damage the central bank’s credibility.

13.01.2025 10

Financial Review

Richard Holden

No Christmas rate cut because Chalmers fought economic laws and lost

The treasurer made a bet he could spend expansively but still see multiple interest-rate cuts from the Reserve Bank before the next election.

02.01.2025 4

Financial Review

Richard Holden

No Minister Jones. Big is good for consumers in the digital economy

The default idea that new regulation should aim at reducing the market shares of tech companies is old economy thinking.

10.12.2024 3

Financial Review

Richard Holden

Why price discrimination can be a good thing

The online age may make it easier for companies to predict what we’re willing to pay. But it also makes it easier for us to share stories of nasty...

08.12.2024 3

Financial Review

Richard Holden

Unlisted assets mask awkward questions about super governance

We need to be sure that on valuations, trustees are not conducting some tick-a-box exercise and playing with the retirement savings of members.

27.11.2024 3

Financial Review

Richard Holden

The economics behind ‘credible threats’

Good strategy involves knowing the game, including your opponents, and committing to a strategy.

24.11.2024 2

Financial Review

Richard Holden

Campaign finance laws could reduce not increase political competition

The community independents are right that this legislation is too important to be rushed through parliament in the final two sitting weeks.

17.11.2024 2

Financial Review

Richard Holden

An OECD global tax deal is close. Australia should jump on board

It wasn’t a good look for Australia to be on the world stage at last month’s IMF meetings as a noted holdout on a crucial international agreement.

12.11.2024 2

Financial Review

Richard Holden

Trump’s win shows voters want lower prices at any cost

The hard truth for Labor is that inflation is kryptonite for centre-left governments, and Anthony Albanese’s record on prices is very similar to...

08.11.2024 2

Financial Review

Richard Holden

Why interest rates will not fall soon – or by much when they do

Rising demand for investment capital to fund things like the green revolution will keep the price of money higher than it was.

28.10.2024 3

Financial Review

Richard Holden

The algorithm that decides what uni course you get

Year 12 students applying for university this year will be allocated to courses based on a famous algorithm called “deferred acceptance”.

22.10.2024 3

Financial Review

Richard Holden

As Nobel Prize winners prove, strong institutions are good for us

The 2024 gong in economic sciences went to Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson and James Robinson. Their studies have vital lessons for today’s...

15.10.2024 7

Financial Review

Richard Holden

The best tips for investing in markets (from economists)

Buy stocks when prices are low compared to dividends, and sell them when prices are high compared to dividends. Simple, right? But there’s always...

14.10.2024 2

Financial Review

Richard Holden

The answer to our housing crisis is three letters: EBA

For all the focus on the illegal activities of the CFMEU, it’s their legal activities that have played a starring role in our housing affordability...

25.09.2024 2

Financial Review

Richard Holden

There is a much better way to fund universities’ R&D spend

The damage that international student caps would do to our sovereign research capability can be addressed by fully funding research overheads.

17.09.2024 1

Financial Review

Richard Holden

Bank profits are the price of trust, and bitcoin proves it

One way to think about part of the profits that banks make is that it’s the cost of providing trust. But first you need to understand how...

11.09.2024 2

Financial Review

Richard Holden

Why is the RBA acting scared of Jim Chalmers?

The governor and deputy governor’s dangerous signals of non-independence threaten the secret sauce of central banking.

08.09.2024 6

Financial Review

Richard Holden

Labor’s price freeze shows the economic problem with childcare subsidies

Government contributions will again increase demand without boosting supply. No wonder fees keep rising.

01.09.2024 3

Financial Review

Richard Holden

The two words you should always treat with caution in business

Sentences which begin “Studies show...” are often followed by a description of a correlation interpreted as if it were a causal relationship -...

29.08.2024 3

Financial Review

Richard Holden

Bullock talks tough, but board can’t stomach raising rates

The RBA has squibbed again this month. With long-run credibility on the line, it needs to focus on getting inflation inside the target band

06.08.2024 2

Financial Review

Richard Holden

The land of the fair go is taxing social mobility

Antiquated over-reliance on income taxes means that if you do manage to succeed, Australia then taxes that success heavily.

23.07.2024 1

Financial Review

Richard Holden