Business
The economy
To succeed, Biden must create more jobs than any president in recent history
The US economy that President-elect Joe Biden is set to inherit on January 20 is in a deep hole, with a recovery that is stalling, a pandemic that is raging and more Americans out of work than what he faced as vice president during the GFC.
- by Heather Long
Latest
Beijing 'rebuffed' pleas from Chinese steelmakers to lift ban on Australian coal
Beijing has rejected pleas from China's steel mills to lift bans on Australian coal, leaving dozens of ships stranded and clouding the outlook for miners.
- by Nick Toscano
Global economy can shake off pandemic in 2021, policymakers say
Vaccines and fresh economic stimulus promised by US President-elect Joe Biden will give the global economy a chance to put the coronavirus pandemic behind it in 2021, policymakers and business leaders say.
- by Mark John
Opinion
JobKeeper
JobKeeper can't be forever but is needed a little longer
While there is a danger that by extending the government payments we will be stapling workers to the wrong jobs, there is a danger in removing it prematurely.
- by Jessica Irvine
Opinion
Trade wars
China acts quickly to stymie Biden trade alliance with Europe
The European Union has forged a new trade deal with China, ignoring pleas from the incoming Biden administration in the US to wait and give it an opportunity to recreate a Western alliance to deal with China.
- by Stephen Bartholomeusz
Opinion
Coronavirus pandemic
Roll up your sleeves: How the vaccine rollout will affect the global economy
Even with the vaccine the global economy will still be smaller than it would have been without the pandemic. But it's the first of many steps towards rebuilding.
- by Jennifer Duke
Festive season credit card debt now a ghost of Christmas past
Australians are set to emerge from the Christmas season with the lowest January credit card debt in more than a decade after the pandemic made consumers more cautious and accelerated changes in the way we pay.
- by Matt Wade
Analysis
Investing
Biden and the EU can forge a new path on global warming
The transatlantic carbon club could be more effective in tackling emissions than voluntary deals such as the defunct Kyoto Protocol or the Paris Agreement.
- by Andreas Kluth
Opinion
Competition
Capitalism is best - it just needs regular maintenance
To say the market system is the best one available, and that we should stick to it, is not so say it works perfectly and can’t be improved.
- by Ross Gittins
Opinion
Income tax
Why much of what we're told about the effects of taxes is off beam
Conventional economists are far too obsessed by prices and not much else and it's a blind spot that leads to bad predictions.
- by Ross Gittins
Explainer
Holidays
How did we get four weeks’ annual leave – and are we due a rise?
In the US, workers get two weeks’ leave a year. In Finland, they get six. How do we go about getting more than our four?
- by Jessica Irvine