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John Hawkins1

Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra
I have a PhD in political science and Masters degrees in Economics and Applied Finance. I have headed the economics division at the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and been a senior economist with the Reserve Bank of Australia, Bank for International Settlements and Australian Treasury and secretary to the Senate Economics Committee.

Central Banking Series

The Reserve Bank of Australia will now have a separate board just to set interest rates. Here’s why that’s significant

Dec 02, 2024 05:10 am UTC| Central Banks Economy

On Thursday night, after a whirlwind day in Canberra, the Senate finally passed the federal governments long-delayed amendments to the Reserve Bank Act. The reforms will create two separate boards for the Reserve Bank...

Digital Currency Revolution

Will digital currencies become the norm as the world moves towards a cashless society?

Jul 03, 2024 14:19 pm UTC| Insights & Views Digital Currency

More than 90% of the worlds central banks are looking at introducing a central bank digital currency (CBDC), to complement existing banknotes. What is a central bank digital currency? A CBDC is not a new currency. It...

Inflation is slowly falling, while student debt is climbing: 6 graphs that explain today’s CPI

Apr 25, 2024 06:06 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy

Australias inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and its now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. The annual rate peaked at 7.8% in the December quarter of 2022 and is now just 3.6%, in...

Interest rates are expected to drop but trying to out-think the market won’t guarantee getting a good deal

Mar 07, 2024 07:38 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy

With most economists expecting interest rates to start falling later this year, prospective home buyers might be weighing up whether to buy now for fear of strong competition for stock, or waiting until repayments are...

Chalmers changes tack as economic growth sinks to a new post-pandemic low

Mar 06, 2024 22:48 pm UTC| Insights & Views Economy

Wednesdays national accounts show economic activity barely grew during the three months to December, climbing just 0.2%. Thats the lowest growth rate in four quarters, each of which was lower than the one before...

Happy birthday AUD: how our Australian dollar was floated, 40 years ago this week

Dec 04, 2023 12:29 pm UTC| Economy Insights & Views

These days, we take for granted that the value of the Australian dollar fluctuates against other currencies, changing thousands of times a day and at times jumping or falling quite a lot in the space of a week. But for...

Digital Currency Revolution

Sam Bankman-Fried convicted for massive FTX fraud, in stark reminder of risks of crypto trading

Nov 04, 2023 03:41 am UTC| Law Digital Currency

It is not just crypto tokens that have spectacular downfalls. So can crypto personalities. Sam Bankman-Fried founded FTX, one of the worlds largest exchanges for so-called cryptocurrencies, which collapsed last year...

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Economy

ECB Keeps July Rate Options Open Amid Iran War Energy Price Risks

The European Central Bank (ECB) will keep all policy options on the table ahead of its July meeting and stands ready to take further action if rising energy costs linked to the Iran conflict fuel broader inflationary...

Asian Currencies Mixed as Dollar Slips on Iran Peace Hopes and Fed Rate Outlook

Asian currencies traded mixed on Friday while the U.S. dollar weakened slightly, as investors assessed growing optimism over a potential U.S.-Iran peace agreement and the latest signals on Federal Reserve interest rate...

Asian Stocks Rally as Trump Signals Iran Peace Deal; Tech and Chip Shares Rebound Strongly

Asian stock markets surged on Friday after U.S. President Donald Trump indicated that a peace agreement with Iran could be finalized soon, boosting investor confidence and driving a broad rally across regional equities....

Japan Core Inflation Seen Steady in May Ahead of BOJ Rate Hike

Japans core inflation rate likely remained unchanged in May, signaling that price pressures are still below the Bank of Japans (BOJ) 2% target despite rising energy costs and expectations of further monetary tightening....

Gold Prices Slide Toward Second Weekly Loss as Fed Rate Hike Expectations Weigh on Market

Gold prices declined on Friday, marking their second straight weekly loss as investors reacted to persistent U.S. inflation concerns and growing expectations that the Federal Reserve could raise interest rates later this...

Politics

South Korea Ballot Shortage Sparks Protests, Election Fraud Claims, and Calls for Rerun

A ballot paper shortage during South Koreas recent local elections has triggered widespread protests, intensified political tensions, and raised concerns about public confidence in the countrys democratic process. Many...

US Plans NATO Force Reduction in Europe Amid Defense Burden Dispute

The United States is reportedly preparing to reduce the number of aircraft, warships, and other military assets available for NATO operations in Europe, a move that could significantly impact the alliances defense...

Trump Signals Possible Iran Peace Deal as Markets Rally

Hopes for a breakthrough in U.S.-Iran relations rose on Friday after U.S. President Donald Trump suggested that a peace agreement with Iran could be finalized as early as this weekend. If completed, the deal would mark a...

France Hosts Israeli-Palestinian Peace Conference to Revive Two-State Solution

French officials, Israeli and Palestinian civil society leaders, and representatives from dozens of countries gathered in France on Friday to reaffirm support for a two-state solution and prevent the issue from fading amid...

DOJ Sues Virginia Over Law Enforcement Mask Ban

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a lawsuit against the state of Virginia, challenging a recently enacted law that restricts law enforcement officers from wearing face coverings while carrying out official...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

Hanmi Semicon Shares Surge After $33 Million SpaceX Investment

South Korean semiconductor equipment maker Hanmi Semiconductor (KS:042700) saw its stock price soar on Friday after announcing a strategic investment in SpaceX, the aerospace company led by Elon Musk. The company revealed...

EngineAI Files for Hong Kong IPO Amid Rising Demand for AI and Robotics Stocks

Chinese humanoid robotics startup EngineAI has reportedly confidentially filed for an initial public offering (IPO) in Hong Kong, seeking to capitalize on growing investor interest in artificial intelligence (AI) and...

Adobe Beats Q2 2026 Estimates, Raises Full-Year Outlook as AI Revenue Surges Despite Stock Drop

Adobe (NASDAQ: ADBE) delivered stronger-than-expected fiscal second-quarter 2026 results, surpassing Wall Street forecasts on both revenue and earnings while raising its full-year guidance. The software giant also reported...

SpaceX IPO Sets Record With $75 Billion Raise, Valuation Hits $1.77 Trillion

SpaceX has officially made history after pricing its highly anticipated initial public offering (IPO) at $135 per share, raising an unprecedented $75 billion and becoming the largest IPO ever completed in the United...

Astera Labs and Rocket Lab Surge After Nasdaq-100 Inclusion Announcement

Shares of Astera Labs (NASDAQ: ALAB) and Rocket Lab (NASDAQ: RKLB) climbed sharply in after-hours trading on Thursday after Nasdaq confirmed both companies will be added to the prestigious Nasdaq-100 Index during its June...