International Reading:
- Credit card delinquencies approach Great Recession levels – Market Place
- Gen Z Is Moving Money From Stocks to Sports Betting in Wealth Plans – Bloomberg
- A shocking 92 percent of US adults not going to the doctor because it’s too expensive – The Independent
- Most Americans would rather have $1,000 today than $1,100 in a year as an uncertain economy persists – Independent
- Fiasco in the Factory: Taxpayers Funded a $533 Million Artillery Plant That Made Nothing – ProPublica
- Gas prices hit their highest mark ever for mid August as Trump’s Iran war drags on – Independent
- The entire U.S. economy is basically a giant betting app – Salon
- Larry Ellison Bet It All on the A.I. Boom. Will He Be the Face of the A.I. Bubble? – NY Times
- U.S. credit card debt hits $1.26 trillion in Q2 2026, near record. – Yahoo
- The Daily Crime Report: What Is the White House Hiding in Its Minerals Deals? – Mother Jones
- The United States’ Accelerating Memory Chip Crunch: Implications for Tech and AI Leadership – CSIS
- Why Bitcoin Is the Most Absurd Creation in Human History – Medium
- The Ultimate Vertical Integration: How Elon Musk Bought the Socket and Rewrote the Rules of the AI Race. – sylvainsaurel.substack.com
- US inflation cooled slightly to 3.4% in July, according to latest data – The Guardian
- Why Gold Fell 17% During the Iran War, Then Rebounded – Real Narrative News
- Manhattan rents reach all-time high of $6,655/month amid Mamdani’s rent freeze and pied-a-terre tax threat – NY Post
Local Reading:
- Jailed whistleblower David McBride to be released after becoming eligible for parole – ABC
- Students sideline studies in major anti-Hanson walkout – New Daily
- Coalition plan to scrap energy rules for new houses condemned as ‘cost-of-living timebomb’ – The Guardian
- ABC changing editorial policy after Rinehart furore prompts concerns of overreach from academics and advocates – The Guardian
- Australia’s ‘number one’ solar retailer facing multiple investigations – ABC
- Delivery drivers to be paid minimum $31.30 an hour across Australia in ‘world-leading’ decision – The Guardian
- Liberals pour cold water on frontbencher’s migration comments – ABC
- Service stations nationwide raided over illegal tobacco, vapes – ABC
- Privacy concerns raised over Australian-first live AI police face scanning trial – ABC
- Housing sales volumes down 10% year-on-year – Interest.co.nz
- Luxon’s leadership: What on earth just happened and what happens next? – Interest.co.nz
- Job ads slide for the fourth month in a row – Interest.co.nz
- Mid-winter housing stock levels hit 7-year high – Interest.co.nz
- QV says NZ housing market is losing momentum – Interest.co.nz
MB Media Appearances:
In this week’s MB Fund podcast, Damien Klassen examines the investment fallout from a potentially historic El Niño — from droughts, floods and crop disruptions to rising food prices and renewed inflationary pressure. With El Niño strengthening and forecasts pointing to a potentially severe event, we explore which markets and sectors could be hit hardest, where opportunities may emerge, and how investors should prepare for the weather shock ahead.
This interview with Ben Fordham on Radio 2GB explains why Australia should ban undergraduate international students from bringing family members to Australia and tighten access to graduate visas.
This interview with Melbourne Radio 3AW unpacks the latest estimate that cancelling the Suburban Rail Project could cost Victorian taxpayers more than $12 billion.
This Treasury of Common Sense on Radio 2GB/4BC discusses the latest rumblings from Labor pertaining to immigration.
