Written By: - Date published: 1:14 pm, January 27th, 2022 - 154 comments
The Government’s Covid 19 response, mainly via Reserve Bank measures, has enabled a mind-boggling increase in inequality, according to influential financial commentator Bernard Hickey. Covid response has saved multiple lives, but its refusal to simultaneously address inequality via taxes raises uncomfortable questions about how a leftist government has overseen a once-in-a-generation shift in wealth
Written By: - Date published: 7:46 am, November 27th, 2020 - 34 comments
The government is simultaneously grappling with the Covid, economic and housing crises, but its failure to act urgently and boldly on the crisis in our Fourth Estate may have the most damaging longer-term effect. Bernard Hickey has lashed out at Broadcasting and Media Minister Kris Faafoi and Jacinda Ardern, for their fiddling-while-Rome-burns response to an industry in meltdown.
Written By: - Date published: 10:45 am, April 7th, 2020 - 93 comments
New Zealand, like many other nations, is hurtling towards economic depression faster than Covid-19 spreads. “We are going to have a depression”. “This is like an asteroid hit the global economy”. “We can print our way of this”. Reflections on what lies ahead by Simon Louisson, Bernard Hickey and others.
Written By: - Date published: 7:03 am, September 2nd, 2017 - 84 comments
Being compared to Trump has got to hurt. And shouldn’t there be consequences when a PM flat out lies to the country on the state of the economy?
Written By: - Date published: 3:32 pm, April 28th, 2017 - 16 comments
Written By: - Date published: 9:17 am, December 4th, 2016 - 36 comments
Bernard Hickey: “It is extraordinary for the Prime Minister to call the Treasury’s short and long term forecasts a “load of nonsense” and yet rely on the medium term ones to promise all manner of riches to voters on the eve of an election.”
Written By: - Date published: 10:33 am, October 16th, 2016 - 31 comments
Hickey in The Herald on Sunday: “Our household debt to income ratio of 165 per cent is now about 5 per cent above those previous highs of 2008 and rising quickly as debt rises around twice as fast as incomes.”
Written By: - Date published: 7:05 am, August 22nd, 2016 - 79 comments
Hickey: “The best way for an economy to grow is for the market to allow wages to grow. Allowing a flood of low-skilled migrants is frustrating that market mechanism with the short-term aim of keeping wages low for employers.”
Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, August 14th, 2016 - 55 comments
An elegant graph explains why free trade is a good thing, but why it is causing a backlash in rich “Western” countries.
Written By: - Date published: 10:26 am, June 12th, 2016 - 133 comments
Hickey: “Helping employers to bring in low-skilled migrants instead of investing in new technology and becoming more productive so they can pay local workers more is essentially stunting our productivity and real GDP per capita.”
Written By: - Date published: 7:16 am, May 11th, 2016 - 26 comments
“Mr Hickey said the actual figure for foreigners buying homes here could be anywhere between 3 and 48 percent.”
Written By: - Date published: 11:19 am, March 27th, 2016 - 200 comments
Bernard Hickey makes some excellent points on the Unconditional Basic Income / Guaranteed Minimum Income.
Written By: - Date published: 8:25 am, March 13th, 2016 - 136 comments
It seems that “serious economists” are discussing something called “helicopter money”. Would it fly in NZ?
Written By: - Date published: 7:32 am, March 4th, 2016 - 73 comments
Bernard Hickey’s piece from last Sunday on Auckland Housing is a depressing read.
Written By: - Date published: 9:39 am, October 12th, 2014 - 22 comments
Excellent piece by Bernard Hickey in The Herald this morning.
Written By: - Date published: 8:54 am, June 14th, 2013 - 400 comments
Bernard Hickey asked such an interesting question on Twitter that it’s worth a post and discussion here. When and how will the young revolt?
Written By: - Date published: 7:47 am, May 8th, 2013 - 22 comments
We’re in yet another round of talk of “green shoots” of economic recovery, complete with the hype of an optimistic budget. Maybe they’re right this time, but the recovery, when it does happen, will be in spite of the National government, not because of them. All National have done is hold us back for four years.
Written By: - Date published: 9:32 am, December 18th, 2012 - 18 comments
Recent pieces by Bernard Hickey and John Armstrong both highlighted the problem of our aging population and the unsustainability of super – in Hickey’s memorable words we are “consuming our future”. Armstrong tries to balme MMP, but that won’t wash, it’s just the usual short-sighted Nat stupidity…
Written By: - Date published: 11:31 am, August 26th, 2012 - 13 comments
NZ is well served in the range of online offerings that are exploring beyond the fringes of the mainstream media. Welcome to a new player, Bernard Hickey’s JOURNALISM.ORG.NZ.
Written By: - Date published: 10:45 am, June 5th, 2012 - 32 comments
The “tradeable” sector is still shrinking. The property market is heating up again. We need a capital gains tax now.
Written By: - Date published: 6:34 am, April 2nd, 2012 - 273 comments
Bernard Hickey has a great piece in the Herald on Sunday that you shouldn’t miss.
Written By: - Date published: 9:46 am, February 13th, 2012 - 68 comments
Capitalism is good. Globalisation is good. It’s political orthodoxy. But is it matched by economic reality? Perhaps not. Recent pieces by Bernard Hickey and Gordon Campbell give us plenty to think about…
Written By: - Date published: 8:44 am, October 4th, 2011 - 54 comments
The credit rating downgrades have been quite a political earthquake, and the aftershocks are going to continue for some time.
Written By: - Date published: 10:36 am, August 14th, 2011 - 33 comments
Bernard Hickey writes compellingly on the coming fall of capitalism.
Written By: - Date published: 7:14 am, June 28th, 2011 - 205 comments
John Key was elected promising to stop the exodus to Australia. He has failed. More and more Kiwis, especially the young, are leaving. And is it any wonder?
Written By: - Date published: 10:26 am, May 15th, 2011 - 38 comments
The minor party debate on Q+A was very interesting. Rahui Katene was self-contradictory and vague, like the Maori Party always is. Peter Dunne was pathetic. Roger Douglas slammed the government’s borrowing as did Russel Norman, who pointed out the other three had all voted for National’s debt-increasing tax cuts for the rich.
Written By: - Date published: 7:16 am, April 11th, 2011 - 24 comments
Bernard Hickey sets out the “theory” behind National’s tax cuts, and sums up the impact of the tax package as a whole: “Simply put, it’s not working”.
Why isn’t it working? Well the fact that the theory is nonsense probably doesn’t help…
Written By: - Date published: 6:58 am, March 28th, 2011 - 91 comments
The latest piece from economist Bernard Hickey is a despairing warning on the subject of borrowing. With the current government making things worse not better, is there any way out of this downwards spiral?
Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, February 6th, 2011 - 62 comments
Bernard Hickey looks at the tax bludgers. Labour’s plans to introduce a higher new top tax rate would raise needed tax from those who can most afford it. But it would also foster more tax bludging by the rich. Rather than throw the baby out with the bathwater by abolishing the top rate, we need to eliminate the avenues for bludging.
Written By: - Date published: 9:57 pm, November 21st, 2010 - 1 comment
Financial journalist Bernard Hickey of interest.co.nz and Selwyn Pellett of the Productive Economy Council will discuss the need for a complete rethink of our approach to economic policy Monday evening in Wellington at Connolly Hall at 5:30pm. Besides writing regular opinion pieces and providing information on his site, Bernard Hickey writes a regular column in […]
Written By: - Date published: 6:29 am, November 12th, 2010 - 51 comments
The US Government has begun creating new money out of thin air, to inflate away the value of its debt and lower its currency to make its industries more competitive. It’s not the only country. Nearly all the major currencies are engaged in the ‘Currency Wars’, trying to force down their exchanger rates. We’re in the cross-fire doing nothing.
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