ABC Business Daily

ABC Australia

The podcast that helps you unpack the latest business and finance news, analysing the stories moving share markets, shaping industries and affecting the Australian economy.

Monday to Friday, ABC Senior Business Correspondent Carrington Clarke examines the biggest business news with ABC's specialist reporters. From finance, to AI technology, and how politics intersects, the team will break down what happened, why it matters, and what it might mean for you and your financial future.

Carrington Clarke is a former economist, ABC North America correspondent from Washington DC and East Asia correspondent from Seoul. Previously, he worked as a Sky News journalist and Fairfax Media editor. He has also reported for ABC Investigations’ flagship current affairs television program 7.30 and The Business .

For more sharp insights, clear explanations, and business news coverage you can trust, hit follow or favourite to add new episodes of ABC Business Daily to your playlist, on ABC listen app, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Today · 19 min
Europe's cost of living crisis
After a weekend of the worst civil unrest in decades in France, markets are nervously waiting to see what the political response will be - but where there's political ramifications, economic ones are also sure to follow. So is France the most precariously balanced domino on the global economic board right now? Meanwhile back home, one of the country’s biggest and most powerful companies – National Australia Bank – is cutting about six per cent of its workforce. It’s a move set to cause anguish
Yesterday · 22 min
Is it time to raise the GST?
The price of Brent Crude has taken another leg up, flirting with 110 US dollars a barrel over the weekend and pulling even greater focus onto how high energy costs are affecting the global economy. Meanwhile, Australia’s increasingly expensive public debt is putting pressure on government budgets. So is now the time for major tax reform? And would any major party be willing to test the idea of increasing the GST? Carrington Clarke and ABC News Business Editor Michael Janda break it all down o
Friday · 38 min
The 'Thelma and Louise' moment coming for global economies
Global markets are shifting, debt is getting more expensive, and the AI investment boom is showing signs of risk. So what's the big picture and where could the next crisis emerge? Macro strategist Gerard Minack joins us to unpack the forces shaping the global economy, from rising bond yields and the growing threat of a sovereign debt crisis to whether the billions pouring into AI will ever deliver the returns investors are banking on. Plus, we turn to Australia's housing market, where higher i
Thursday · 20 min
Will higher unemployment stop a rate hike?
Fresh jobs figures from the ABS show worsening unemployment here in Australia. Meanwhile inflation is hotter than expected in the United States. So will these new numbers stay the Reserve Bank’s hand from hiking interest rates on Melbourne Cup Day? And what do minutes from the RBA’s last board meeting reveal about what the central bank thinks are the biggest risks right now? Carrington Clarke and ABC News Business Editor Michael Janda break it all down on ABC Business Daily. Got a b
Wednesday · 23 min
Solving the productivity puzzle
Despite rich resources and recent advancements in technology, why does Danielle Wood think the economy is still struggling to be more productive? The Productivity Commission Chair joins ABC Business Daily to weigh in on Australia’s productivity problem - workforce participation, population growth, the care economy, and AI’s role in stimulating growth. So, are we set on a path of stagnation where decent pay rises cause prices to rise? Or can we turn this ship around? Carrington Clarke and
October 13 · 21 min
What are the ripple effects of the Firmus fiasco?
The cost of the Firmus fiasco continues to be counted, with Maas Group paying a heavy price for its connection to the Australian AI startup. So, how much wider is the pain likely to be felt across the economy? And where to now, for the biggest trade in global AI markets? Carrington Clarke and ABC Chief Business Correspondent Ian Verrender break it all down on ABC Business Daily. Got a burning business question? We'd love to hear your questions! If there’s business and economic new
October 12 · 21 min
Did Firmus fly too close to the sun?
It was the 44 billion dollar float that flopped. AI startup Firmus has dramatically pulled the plug on what was supposed to be the second biggest listing in ASX history. So what went wrong? Who is left "holding the bag"? And what does the decision tell us about investor appetite for all things AI? Carrington Clarke and James Thomson, senior Chanticleer columnist at the Australian Financial Review, break it all down on ABC Business Daily. Got a burning business question? We'd love
October 8 · 30 min
Alan Kohler on our financial past and future
Booms, busts and everything in between — for more than half a century, finance journalist Alan Kohler has had a front-row seat to the Australian economy. For his final episode hosting That's Business, we're changing things up. Alan swaps the host's chair for the hot seat to reflect on what 50 years of reporting on money, markets and business has taught him. What were the best and worst economic policies of his time? What has Alan got wrong? And if he could start all over again — would he do an
October 8 · 22 min
Is cutting immigration good economics?
Migration is dominating the headlines, with the Coalition promising the biggest cut to immigration in Australia’s history — a policy opposition leader Angus Taylor has called "budget neutral". But what are the economic questions behind student visa numbers, skilled worker contributions, and pressures on the Australian property market? And just how should economics shape decisions about migration? Carrington Clarke and Professor Robert Breunig, Director of the Tax and Transfer Policy Institut
October 7 · 19 min
Why your morning coffee is more expensive
It’s no surprise that people are feeling bad about the economy and their finances. But the latest look into consumer sentiment from the Westpac-Melbourne Institute’s index, reveals Australians are experiencing what the bank describes as a ‘cost-of-living nightmare.’ Meanwhile, you may have noticed the price of your morning cup of coffee has gone up as small businesses raise prices in the wake of the RBA’s surcharge ban. So what does the ban mean for businesses? And consumers? C
October 6 · 20 min
Firmus looks to float
The Australian stock market could be set for its second biggest IPO in history, with Firmus, the data-centre builder and operator, looking to tap the market for billions. So does the business case stack up? Meanwhile, Australians across the country are adjusting to last week’s rate hike in an economy with inflation still higher than the RBA would like. The central bank says it hopes to avoid recession as it tries to tame price rises. But what lessons can be learned from previous ec
October 5 · 17 min
To tax or not to tax EVs
The surge in electric vehicle sales seems here to stay, as Australians look for alternatives to petrol-powered cars and the global energy crisis pushes prices at the bowser higher still. But with fewer drivers paying the fuel excise, what does this mean for government revenue? And what are the economics behind taxing vehicles on our roads? Carrington Clarke and the e61 Institute's Amy Tramontozzi break it all down on ABC Business Daily. Got a burning business question? We'd love
October 1 · 34 min
What CBA’s Matt Comyn thinks about interest rates
Commonwealth Bank is Australia’s biggest bank and its second-biggest company. One in three Australians are CommBank customers, giving it an enormous influence over the Australian economy. Matt Comyn has been CBA’s CEO since 2018 and has been named by the Australian Financial Review as the most powerful person in corporate Australia. Now, with Australians watching closely for what happens to interest rates amid a still-high cost of living, Matt Comyn joins Alan Kohler on That’s Business to d
October 1 · 19 min
A financial system with ‘no room for complacency’
It’s health-check day for the Australian financial system, with the release of the Financial Stability Review from the Reserve Bank. And despite inflation still well above target, a fourth interest rate hike this year and the downturn in the property market, the RBA seems most concerned about what’s happening overseas. So why is the AI investment boom's increasingly opaque funding on the RBA’s radar - and what else are they watching? Carrington Clarke and ABC Finance Journalist Alicia Barry
September 30 · 21 min
Inflation still too high for the RBA
Fresh inflation figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics give us a look under the hood of an economy running hot. So just what is keeping inflation higher than the RBA would like? How does this fresh data affect the odds of a further rate hike in November? And how are central banks responding to the global bond market? Carrington Clarke and Paul Bloxham HSBC’s Chief Economist for Australia, New Zealand, and Global Commodities, break it all down on ABC Business Daily. G
September 29 · 22 min
The highest rates in 15 years
The Reserve Bank of Australia has raised rates, bringing the cash rate to the highest it’s been since 2011. And even though this latest hike doesn’t come as a surprise, the sting will still be felt by borrowers throughout the country. So what does this mean for the Australian economy? And how likely is a fifth rate hike before the end of the year? Carrington Clarke and ABC News Business Editor Michael Janda break it all down on ABC Business Daily. Got a burning business question? We'd lo
September 28 · 20 min
Are lenders doubting the US dollar?
Is the era of US-dollar dominance on its last legs? Against the backdrop of the war in Iran, a trade war with Canada, and bond sell-offs, trust in the Greenback appears to be weakening. Meanwhile central banks around the world have been looking elsewhere to shore up reserves. So how does this all play into rising interest rates - here in Australia - and across the world? Carrington Clarke and ABC Chief Business Correspondent Ian Verrender break it all down on ABC Business Daily. Got a bu
September 26 · 29 min
The economics of migration
Australia's migration debate is once again ramping up, with Labor planning to cut backpacker and student visa numbers amid calls from One Nation to slash immigration by 750, 000 places over three years. Beneath the political storm is a complicated history of changing economic and social policy governing who gets to come to — and who gets to stay in — Australia. Mark Cully is a former chief economist for the Department of Immigration, a former chair of the OECD Working Party on Migration, and t
September 24 · 30 min
Can the government control AI?
The Australian Government is calling for stronger global rules around artificial intelligence. But as AI agents become more capable and autonomous, the question is becoming increasingly urgent: can governments regulate AI before it gets ahead of them? This week, prime minister Anthony Albanese announced a swarm of OpenAI's agents appeared to work together to circumvent cybersecurity defences and access Medicare health data. But the US President Donald Trump has rejected calls for more AI guard
September 24 · 20 min
The latest jobs stats and AI hacks
New jobs data out today shows the unemployment rate has risen in Australia. But is it enough to halt the RBA's expected interest rate hike? And an agent from Open AI has hacked into a Services Australia portal. Could this damage big tech's reputation at a time when it's asking for government support to invest in Australia? Carrington Clarke and ABC Finance Journalist Alicia Barry break it all down on ABC Business Daily. Got a burning business question? We'd love to hear your questions!

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