The Reserve Bank will print all of the $97.5 billion the Government plans to 'borrow' over the next two years. Why is there is no political debate about why, how and if it should be done?
Bernard Hickey
Sovereignty in a digital world – Part 3
For Election 2020, Bernard Hickey finishes a three-part series on the digital policies needed to bolster Aotearoa’s resilience, protect our sovereignty and reduce inequality
Hey… Govt borrowing costs just went negative
Government borrowing costs just went negative, yet politicians fear debt and are bringing back austerity just as our worst recession in a century takes hold.
The even wealthier can breathe easier till 2023 at least
Bernard Hickey is thrilled the unearned capital gains on his properties will go untaxed for at least another three years, but despondent that Labour has wasted the chance of this Covid 19 crisis to properly tax wealth and give the young and the poor some hope for the future.
Sovereignty in a digital world – Part 2
Bernard Hickey continues a three-part series on the digital policies needed to bolster Aotearoa’s resilience, protect our sovereignty and reduce inequality in the wake of the Christchurch attacks, foreign interference in elections, the Covid-19 pandemic, America’s tech war with China, and state-sponsored cyber-attacks.
Printed money being parked, not invested or spent
Our Reserve Bank has printed $32.2 billion to buy bonds since Covid-19 struck, but 90 percent of that cash is still parked in bank accounts.
Back to Govt as usual on CovidCard
Unlike with the original lockdowns in late March, the Government moved too softly and slowly on CovidCard. It may have cost the economy $2b, writes Bernard Hickey
What sovereignty means in a digital world
Bernard Hickey begins a three-part series on the digital policies needed to bolster New Zealand’s resilience, protect our sovereignty and reduce inequality
Our housing market is too big to fail
Bernard Hickey writes the Covid-19 crisis has again proven there’s one type of asset that New Zealanders know in their bones is too big and important to be allowed to crash: housing
NZ's 'K' shaped Covid-19 recovery
The New Zealand Government's response to Covid-19 is enriching already rich property owners and bailing out the most politically powerful businesses, while renters and the poor get poorer, Bernard Hickey argues
Ready for a 1.5% mortgage rate?
The Reserve Bank is preparing to lend fresh money to banks at negative interest rates from early next year, which would allow them to cut mortgage rates as low as 1.5 percent
When printing even $100b is not enough
Overly cautious politicians and bankers are forcing the Reserve Bank to look at even more extreme ways to stimulate our Covid-hit economy and revive inflation