Jonathan Barrett

3 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Jonathan Barrett

At the Coalition’s campaign launch, weeks out from polling day, Peter Dutton announced the centrepiece of his affordable housing plan – making mortgages tax deductible for some first home buyers. Unlike other housing measures announced during the campaign by the major parties, the deduction scheme had the potential to be an eye-catching policy that could sway voters towards the Coalition on a central election issue.

3 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Jonathan Barrett

At the same time as Australians are cutting back on plans to visit the US under Donald Trump, a new type of investment strategy designed to avoid America is fast gaining popularity. The “sell America trade”, an expression that barely existed before Trump spooked markets by unveiling his new tariff regime late on 2 April, is now a common expression among traders and appears regularly in investment notes to explain the day’s price movements.

4 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Jonathan Barrett |Adam Morton |Natasha May |Patrick Commins |Caitlin Cassidy

If either leader landed a punch on housing, it was AlbaneseJonathan BarrettBusiness editorIf the election is a battle between cost-of-living policies, then the major parties’ competing housing policies are at the centre of the fight. It took Anthony Albanese just over one minute, and Peter Dutton 45 seconds, to refer to housing in their opening statements at the debate. The issue then dominated the opening exchanges.

1 month ago | theguardian.com | Patrick Commins |Jonathan Barrett

By the time Australians woke Wednesday morning, 3 April, the world had changed. In a single stroke of his pen, a former reality TV star, property mogul and now second-term president of the most powerful country in the world had undone a century of US trade liberalisation. As global financial markets shed trillions in dollars of value, Australians compulsively check their superannuation balances to see how much damage Donald Trump’s trade war is inflicting on their retirement savings.

1 month ago | theguardian.com | Adam Fulton |Jonathan Barrett

Key eventsShow key events onlyPlease turn on JavaScript to use this featureASX to open sharply lower amid worsening trade warAustralian shares are poised to open sharply lower this morning, as concerns about Donald Trump’s unsettling policy shifts and deteriorating trade relations between the world’s two biggest economies take hold. Futures prices are pointing to a 1.6% fall in the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 to 7,590 points when it opens later this morning, after a sell-off on Wall Street overnight.