Introducing competition to the health sector should be treated with caution
Dec 05, 2016 05:12 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy
The Productivity Commissions study report on introducing competition into human services was quickly labelled as proposing privatisation of hospital, end-of-life and dental services. This isnt really the case. The...

Financial wizardry alone won't stave off a Chinese debt crisis
Dec 05, 2016 04:54 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy
Chinas debt is beyond worrying. Its credit-to-GDP gap, a measure employed by the Bank of International Settlements (BIS) as a way to gauge debt levels, stands at 30%. This is the highest of any country going back to 1995...
FxWirePro: The Day Ahead- 5th December, 2016
Dec 05, 2016 04:37 am UTC| Commentary Economy Central Banks
Lots of economic dockets and events scheduled for today but all with low to medium volatility risks associated. Data released so far: New Zealand: ANZ commodity prices rose by 2.7 percent in November....

Why privatisation of social care may not be the answer to a coming crisis
Dec 04, 2016 23:13 pm UTC| Insights & Views Economy
Virgin Care recently won a 700m contract to run adult social care for a council in the west of England. The seven-year deal will see the company take over three important areas of council provision: adult social care,...

Reliable renewable electricity is possible if we make smart decisions now
Dec 04, 2016 23:07 pm UTC| Insights & Views Economy
The Australian government is reviewing our electricity market to make sure it can provide secure and reliable power in a rapidly changing world. Faced with the rise of renewable energy and limits on carbon pollution, The...
The age of uncertainty is upon us, and we'd better get used to it
Dec 04, 2016 22:58 pm UTC| Insights & Views Economy
Peter Varghese, former head of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, now chancellor of the University of Queensland had a simple message for policymakers anxious about the arrival in the White House of a man whose...

Banks like RBS still look risky, but getting too tough could cause greater problems
Dec 04, 2016 22:55 pm UTC| Insights & Views Economy
Even in less politically volatile times, the news that the UKs biggest bank, RBS, failed the Bank of Englands toughest ever stress tests would have dampened financial spirits. The bank must now raise an extra 2 billion to...