Breaking News, Business, Financial and Economic News, World News from EconoTimes

Become a contributor

Bookmark Econotimes

Sat, Aug 08, 2026 03:17 AM All times are UTC

Follow Series

©Econometrics LLC . All Rights Reserved.

Bruce Mountain

Director, Victoria Energy Policy Centre, Victoria University

PhD (economics) Victoria University, Batchelor's and Master's Degrees (Electrical Engineering), University of Cape Town. Chartered Management Accountant (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants), England. Director, Carbon and Energy Markets and co-founder, [MI] Retail Energy.

Solar above, batteries below: here’s how warehouses and shopping centres could produce 25% of Australia’s power

Aug 20, 2024 05:21 am UTC| Insights & Views Business

Imagine if Australian cities became major producers of clean energy, rather than relying on far-flung solar and wind farms. Far fetched? Hardly. Our cities and towns are full of warehouses, commercial areas, shopping...

Known unknowns: controversy over CSIRO’s electricity report reveals an uncomfortable truth

Jun 13, 2024 06:10 am UTC| Research & Analysis

CSIROs latest annual GenCost update, released last month, was billed as Australias most comprehensive electricity generation cost report. GenCost has proven to be highly controversial. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton...

Future of Coal Series

The end of coal-fired power is in sight, even with private interests holding out

Oct 11, 2022 04:28 am UTC| Economy

If future historians pick a point in time when Australia comprehensively turned its back on coal-fired generation, they may well point to AGLs decision to bring forward the closure of Loy Yang A, the cheapest (excluding...

Texas was a warning. Australia needs to rethink the design of its electricity market

Feb 26, 2021 14:17 pm UTC| Nature Economy

Australias electricity market is unsustainable. Texas shows us why. A week ago Texas experienced a bout of severe weather as arctic air reached deep into the state, driving temperature down to levels that had not been...

Pumped hydro isn't our energy future, it's our past

Oct 29, 2020 10:03 am UTC| Business

Its now beyond dispute that for new electricity generation solar, wind and other forms of renewable energy are cheaper than anything else: cheaper than new coal fired power stations, cheaper than new gas-fired stations...

The National Energy Guarantee is a flagship policy. So why hasn't the modelling been made public?

Jul 31, 2018 15:36 pm UTC| Insights & Views Law Politics

Central to the public debate about the National Energy Guarantee (NEG) has been the numerical forecasts of its effects in particular how much it will reduce power prices. In a democracy whose households pay some of the...

Economy

Oil Prices Set for Steep Weekly Losses as Hormuz Deal Stalls

Oil prices fluctuated on Friday and remained on course for sharp weekly declines as uncertainty surrounding a potential agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz continued to drive volatility across global energy markets....

Gold Prices Surge 7% as Dollar Falls, Fed Rate Hike Bets Ease

Gold prices rallied sharply on Friday, putting the precious metal on track for its strongest weekly performance since late January as a weaker U.S. dollar, lower oil prices and softer Federal Reserve rate hike expectations...

US Dollar Falls as Weak July Jobs Report Dents Fed Rate Hike Bets

The U.S. dollar weakened on Friday and headed toward its first two-week losing streak since late May after a disappointing July jobs report reduced expectations for another Federal Reserve interest rate hike. The U.S....

China Exports Beat July Forecasts as AI Demand Fuels High-Tech Trade

Chinas exports posted stronger-than-expected growth in July, supported by booming global demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure and a rush to ship goods before higher U.S. tariffs took effect. Exports increased...

US Dollar Gains as Iran Tensions, Fed Rate Hike Bets Rise

The U.S. dollar headed for a weekly gain against major currencies on Friday as uncertainty over an Iran peace agreement boosted demand for safe-haven assets, while rising Treasury yields and expectations of tighter Federal...

Politics

SEC Moves to Dismiss Insider Trading Case Against Trump-Pardoned Terren Peizer

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is moving to dismiss its civil insider trading lawsuit against Terren Peizer, the former Ontrak CEO who was convicted in a landmark federal insider trading case before...

Ukraine Agrees to Protect Kazakhstan Oil Exports via Black Sea

Ukraine has reportedly agreed not to attack certain non-Russian oil tankers and infrastructure involved in exporting Kazakhstan crude oil through the Black Sea, a move that could help stabilize supplies from one of the...

Colombia President Abelardo De La Espriella Pledges Drug Crackdown, Economic Reforms

Colombias new right-wing President Abelardo De La Espriella has taken office with promises to intensify the fight against drug trafficking, restore security and introduce sweeping economic reforms aimed at rebuilding...

Bezalel Smotrich Faces Election Battle as Israel’s Far-Right Vote Fractures

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich is facing a difficult political battle ahead of Israels October 27 election after his position on ultra-Orthodox military exemptions angered some of his traditional supporters in...

Trump Administration Weighs Executive Order on Vaccines and Autism Research

The Trump administration is considering an executive order focused on vaccines and autism research that could be announced as early as next week, Bloomberg News reported Friday, citing people familiar with the discussions....

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

Nvidia to Invest Up to $3 Billion in Blackstone-Backed Lancium

Nvidia is reportedly preparing to invest as much as $3 billion in Lancium, a Blackstone-backed power infrastructure developer involved in the Stargate artificial intelligence infrastructure initiative, as demand for...

Meta Ordered to Pay $567M Over Child Safety Violations in New Mexico

Meta Platforms Inc. has been ordered to pay $567 million into a fund designed to address harm to young people, in a major legal ruling involving child safety on Facebook and Instagram. Judge Bryan Biedscheid of New Mexicos...

Nintendo Shares Jump as Switch 2 Sales Boost Earnings

Nintendo shares surged nearly 5% on Friday after the Japanese gaming giant reported stronger-than-expected first-quarter earnings and upgraded its full-year financial outlook, supported by robust demand for the new Switch...

Cloudflare Stock Jumps 15% as Earnings Beat Estimates, 2026 Outlook Raised

Cloudflare shares surged in after-hours trading Thursday after the cloud connectivity and cybersecurity company delivered stronger-than-expected quarterly results, issued upbeat third-quarter guidance and raised its...

SoftBank Q1 Profit Beats Forecast as Intel Rally and OpenAI Investments Boost Returns

SoftBank Group (TYO: 9984) reported a stronger-than-expected fiscal first-quarter profit despite higher operating and financing costs, supported by massive investment gains from Intel and its Vision Fund portfolio. For the...