MBS Media coverage

Making houses less affordable is perverse yet obvious

Mark Crosby, The Age, pg 8, 03 November 2008
But interest rate cuts alone will not do the job of stabilising housing prices, writes MBS Professor Mark Crosby Read the full article.

Generation Y-worry still unfazed by credit woes

The Sunday Age, pg 8, 02 November 2008
Leon Gettler notes that the financial crisis is about to give generation Y their first big kick in the pants. But will they care? Melbourne Business School MBA student, Jo Pizzey suggests that the economic change is an enormous challenge for a generation that has never known hardship.

Market gains tipped to hold

Sunday Herald Sun, pg 92, 02 November 2008
The outcomes of the Reserve Bank’s meeting on Tuesday and the US presidential election the next day should help the share market hang on to positive gains next week, experts say. Prof. Paul Kerin of the Melbourne Business School said the markets had already priced in a Barack Obama victory, though he expected them to react unfavourably in the short term if he won.

Rates cut is the hot tip

Sunday Herald Sun, pg 9, 02 November 2008
If the economists are right the safest bet you can make on Cup Day is that the Reserve Bank will cut interest rates when it meets. Not all agree however, with MBS Professor Paul Kerin not convinced that there will be a rate cut.

Intervention creates a mess of uncertainty

The Age, pg 1, 01 November 2008
Prime Minister Rudd's steps to bolster the economy have created a host of unforeseen problems. This article discusses the reaction to the Government’s bank deposit guarantee. "There is a role for the Government to do these things, but unless they are very careful in looking at the possible downside consequences, a policy could make its worse off," says Professor Paul Kerin, from Melbourne Business School.

Competition critical, say Joye and Gans

Mortgage Professional , pg 64, 28 October 2008
In August, the key figures behind the argument for government intervention to restore competition between banks and non-banks submitted their paper to the House of Representatives Economics Committee's inquiry. Published under the auspices of Melbourne Business School's Centre for Ideas and the Economy and with the support of the MFAA and the Australian Securitisation Forum, the submission argued that the degree of competition in the Australian banking and non-banking lending sectors is critical to both enhancing housing affordability as well as providing an efficient supply of funds to both corporates and small and medium enterprises.

How do global influences affect your property investment?

Your Mortgage, pg 64, 28 October 2008
While most investors focus on supply and demand, RP Data evaluation & risk solutions general manager Carl Hampel believes the global economic forces have just as much bearing on the outcome of your property investment. This article discusses a new report released by Melbourne Business School’s Centre for Ideas and the Economy.

Row row, row your boat...

Money Magazine, pg 16, 28 October 2008
As half of Australia's winning team in the Men's Pairs at Beijing and a three-time Olympic gold medalist, rower and Mt Eliza Executive Education consultant Drew Ginn is surely a very marketable commodity.

CEO pay makes sense - aside from a few outrageous exceptions

Paul Kerin, The Australian, pg 27, 27 October 2008
Recent attacks on CEO pay make Mark Knopfler's self-deprecating lyrics about musicians seem tame. CEO pay is apparently a mess and our Prime Minister says it's all the fault of nasty "free-market ideologues", writes MBS Professor Paul Kerin.

G8 summit, Doha agenda and the future of the WTO

Gary Sampson, Japan Times, 25 October 2008
The world trading system, based originally on the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and now the World Trade Organization (WTO), celebrated its 60th anniversary Jan. 1. During its lifetime, tariffs declined to just one-tenth of what they were, while the volume of world trade grew 27-fold — three times faster than world output — bringing unprecedented prosperity for many, writes MBS Professor Gary Sampson.

Stop feeding the beast

The Weekend Australian, pg 31, 25 October 2008
Despite increasingly gloomy reports about the outlook for global economies, Australia's economic fundamentals were not that bad, wrote Melbourne Business School's Mark Crosby in The Financial Review.

Asset value standards altered by credit crisis

The West Australian, pg 50, 24 October 2008
Companies have greater leeway when valuing stressed financial assets because of the global credit crisis, courtesy of sudden changes to Australia's accounting standards. Melbourne Business School Professor of Accounting Jim Frederickson said Australian and international accounting standards were modified as a concession to the conditions. But he hoped the changes were temporary.

Companies get leeway on assets

The Age, pg 2, 24 October 2008
Companies will have greater leeway when valuing stressed financial assets because of the global credit crisis, courtesy of sudden changes to Australia's accounting standards. Melbourne Business School Professor of Accounting Jim Frederickson said Australian and international accounting standards were modified as a "concession to the economic conditions and political conditions". But he said he hoped the changes were temporary.

Need for deeds of speed

Mark Crosby, The Age, pg 15, 24 October 2008
With luck, and pragmatism, we may endure a slowdown – and stave off a global recession, writes MBS Professor Mark Crosby

Put a premium on time to study bank guarantee instead

Joshua Gans, The Age, pg 10, 24 October 2008
Discussions of putting premiums on some deposit accounts are a worry, writes MBS Professor Joshua Gans.

Time for a helping hand

BRW, pg 49, 23 October 2008
The Government should step in with assistance for small business if it is to stave off a recession. MBS Professor Joshus Gans was an early proponent of intervention in the RMBS market but worries that further government involvement will encourage reckless lending.

Real economy stands on a sound base

Mark Crosby, The Australian Financial Review, pg 71, 22 October 2008
Melbourne Business School’s Mark Crosby asks whether the sky is really falling in.

Snack attack

CFO, pg 36, 21 October 2008
Qantas Airways is installing an online learning tool on its A380 planes linked to the Deloitte Leadership Academy, giving passengers access to 10-to-20 minute ‘snack learning’ modules. The academy has 16 content providers including Melbourne Business School.

Chart-based share price predictions are fundamentally flawed

Paul Kerin, The Australian, pg 27, 20 October 2008
Can anyone predict share prices? Given recent market turbulence, we'd all like to know where the market, particularly our own shares, will head. Unsurprisingly, pundits' predictions have recently received even more media attention than usual. Sadly, their predictions vary enormously and few are better than a coin toss, write MBS Professor Paul Kerin.

Complete Doha to prove global leadership

Gary Sampson, Australian Financial Review, pg 71, 20 October 2008
Protectionism can only worsen the world’s current financial instability, not cure it, writes MBS Professor Gary Sampson.