The Dismal Science

Are there any positives to take from the latest GDP numbers? Is the RBA about to embark on QE? And is the property market back?

With Mark back from holidays, we catch up on the RBA's historic rate cut early this month and do a Nobel edition of the number of the week.

Special guest Jamie Smyth of the Financial Times helps Mark and Ivan make sense of the Brexit omnishambles. This episode was recorded on 4 September, the day after Boris Johnson's government lost its majority in the House of Commons and the morning of the start of the fourth Ashes test.

What the hell is an inverted yield curve and should we be worried? This episode was recorded on 22 August.

Finally, we are back! New AICD chief economist Mark Thirlwell joins Ivan to talk about why Mark fell in love with economics, the US-China trade war, whether the RBA has failed and the AICD's number of the week. This comeback episode was recorded on 8 August.

Stephen and Ivan catch up on the budget and discuss the fragile Chinese economy.

In the first episode of the year, Stephen and Ivan catch up on the 'boomy' November retail sales and the surprising midyear budget review.

In this episode, recorded in early December, Stephen and Ivan look ahead to 2018. Will the Reserve Bank continue to stay its hand? Will wages growth finally pick up? And what's the outlook for the Australian and global economies?

Stephen and Ivan talk about the 'terrible' August retail sales and the better than expected FY17 budget position.

In this catch-up episode recorded in September, Stephen and Ivan talk about June quarter GDP and the August jobs report. Then AICD policy adviser Matt McGirr comes in to explain the newly passed safe harbour reforms.