Glenn Dyer

1 month ago | crikey.com.au | Glenn Dyer

The US Federal Reserve is now officially worried about the impact of Donald Trump’s tariffs, raising the possibility of stagflation as it lowers its growth forecasts for the American economy while revising up inflation forecasts. As expected, there was no interest rate cut by the Fed in its meeting overnight, but it is still flagging two more rate cuts this year and, crucially, is scaling back its “quantitative tightening” to support credit in an increasingly uncertain environment.

2 months ago | inkl.com | Anton K. Nilsson |Bernard Keane |Glenn Dyer

With the Reserve Bank cutting rates for the first time in four years, Australians fall into two camps: whoopers and weepers. The RBA sliced the official interest rate by 0.25 of a percentage point, aiming to get the economy on an even keel. But let’s ignore the macroeconomic effects — which will hopefully be stimulatory when it comes to activity, but not prices — and focus on the raw cash-flow effects on normal punters. Those who are whooping this afternoon are people with mortgages.

2 months ago | inkl.com | Charlie Lewis |Glenn Dyer |Bernard Keane

The gaslighting. The increasing demands following acquiescence. The bluster and bullshit — the Trump administration’s tariff demands of Australia precisely fit the pattern of bullying. First, the no-exemptions-maybe-an-exemption response from Trump immediately after Anthony Albanese’s call apparently establishing an exemption would be considered. Then, the gaslighting: a Trump administration official claiming Australia was “killing the aluminium market” in the US.

2 months ago | inkl.com | Bernard Keane |Glenn Dyer

No-one knows who Libby Mettam is. Stroll up to the average Western Australian punter, say, an ol’ bloke having a midday tipple at The Buffalo Club, and ask, “Sir, what are your thoughts on Libby Mettam?” He’ll understandably respond, “Ay? Wot? Shout me another Swanny-D, would ya?”, and it’d be amiss of you not to. Truth is, I’ve had to google her six times while writing that paragraph alone.

2 months ago | crikey.com.au | Glenn Dyer

While the media is having conniptions about Mad King Donald’s on-again-off-again-exempted-unexempted steel and aluminium tariffs, some obvious questions are going unasked. For example, where are Australia’s diehard MAGA supporters when it comes to defending Australia’s economic interests? How about billionaire heiress Gina Rinehart, perhaps our highest-profile Trump fan? Has she criticised the possible imposition of tariffs on Australia’s exports?