Chris Bowen presented at the National Press Club on Tuesday as a well-prepared alternative treasurer, who could slot into the real job very easily if July 2 brought the chance. “Neat” is the word that…
Deloitte strongly argues the budget has a revenue problem, not just a spending problem – a proposition consistently rejected by Treasurer Scott Morrison.
Lukas Coch/AAP
The federal budget deficit from now through to 2018-19 is likely to be $129 billion, $21 billion worse than in the December official budget update, according to Deloitte Access Economics.
Much is expected of South African President Jacob Zuma when he delivers his 2016 State of the Nation Address.
Reuters/Sumaya Hisham
The general loss of faith in the economy is the most important issue President Zuma must address. More radical social and economic transformation, with emphasis on land reform will be most critical.
In the first Politics Podcast for 2016, Michelle Grattan and Tony Burke discuss the challenging gap between government revenue and spending.
Treasury secretary John Fraser says if Australia were to permanently reduce net debt, it would have to achieve sustained structural budget improvements.
Lukas Coch/AAP
Australia should not be complacent about maintaining its top credit rating, which depends on achieving budget repair and a more diverse economy, Treasury secretary John Fraser has said.
South African academics are extremely worried about President Jacob Zuma’s axing of the finance minister.
Reuters/Stefanie Loos
Academics from several South African universities say that in the current world economy decisions about any country’s finance minister cannot be made “lightly or capriciously”.
Credit rating agencies often elicit criticism when they downgrade countries.
EPA/Justine Lane
Credit rating agencies have come in for a lot of flack. But the bottom line is that to attract investors with deep pockets countries can’t avoid having a credit rating. And a good one at that.
Deceitful Chinese may have trouble getting a mortgage in the not-too-distant future.
Dragon faces via www.shutterstock.com
China plans to create a credit reporting system that ranks people on trustworthiness using a all kinds of data, from finances to Facebook. Sound far-fetched? It’s happening in the US too.
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce is under pressure, with the airline flagging a $300 million half-year loss.
Alan Porritt/AAP
Qantas has flagged deteriorating trading conditions and a potential A$300 million half-year loss in a statement to the market that has sent its share price tumbling. The airline has stepped up its cost…
Credit ratings agencies wield an enormous amount of social, economic and political power.
AAP
Evaluating the creditworthiness of countries is far from an exact science, yet the influence of credit ratings agencies is extraordinary. Recently, the UK government’s debt rating has been downgraded by…
Subprime ratings have come back to haunt Standard and Poor’s, which is now facing civil action from the US government.
AAP
Kevin Davis, Australian Centre for Financial Studies
Five billion dollars is a lot of money — and that is the amount which the US Justice Department claims were losses incurred by US banks and credit unions from investing in CDOs rated by Standard &…
Demonstrators in front of Standard & Poor’s credit rating agency offices in Paris 15 January 2012.
AAP
For decades, credit ratings agencies were largely ignored by the masses, but in recent months they have continued to hit the headlines again and again. The big three (Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s and…