ABC Business Daily

Justin Wolfers on the absurdities of Trump’s America

Justin Wolfers has spent 25 years in the United States watching the world’s biggest economy from close range - and from the useful distance of an Australian accent that still cuts through the absurdity.A former Reserve Bank economist and now Professor of Economics and Public Policy at the University of Michigan, Wolfers has become one of America’s sharpest economic communicators.He joins Alan Kohler to talk about the health of the US economy, the chaos of Trump-era policymaking, the folly of tariffs, the importance of immigration, and why the decisions made in Washington still ripple all the way to Australia.They also get into housing, climate change, AI, and the Federal Reserve under Kevin Warsh.And because this is America in 2026, Alan also asks the obvious question: did Justin Wolfers make the Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce wedding guest list? And what does the whole spectacle say about celebrity, wealth and power in modern America?Justin Wolfers and Alan Kohler unpack it all on That's Business with Alan Kohler.Got a burning business question?Send a short voice recording to the ABC Business Daily team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au

Will Telstra's outage lead to financial fallout?

Telstra’s outage has caused dismay and anger across the country. And as problems continue into a second day, questions are being asked about whether further regulations are needed. So what are the business costs of this chaos? And what could the impact be for Telstra’s bottom line?And the latest rental data confirms a troubling tale for those looking for somewhere to live.While the property conversation in Australia so often focuses on those looking to buy homes, what do the numbers tell us about those who aren't in that position?Carrington Clarke and ABC Business Reporter Daniel Ziffer 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 news that has you stumped or you'd like further insight into, we're here to help. Send a short voice recording to Carrington and the team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au and we'll attempt to answer it.

Can Australia trust AI?

The Telstra outage has caused disruption across the country - and highlighted just how dependent businesses and households have become on systems that are meant to work, seamlessly and constantly.At the same time, AI is spreading fast through workplaces and the economy, promising productivity gains while raising harder questions about reliability, regulation, and the future of jobs. Carrington Clarke is joined by ABC National AI and Technology Reporter Cam Wilson, live from a Sydney forum on whether Australia has the right settings in place, to unpack what he is hearing.You can read Cam's latest piece on AI and the job market here.Got a burning business question?We'd love to hear your questions! If there’s business and economic news that has you stumped or you'd like further insight into, we're here to help. Send a short voice recording to Carrington and the team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au and we'll attempt to answer it.

Is the NRL about to break the media rights record?

A multi-billion-dollar broadcast deal is in the works for the NRL - and if it goes through (as it's expected to), it would become the biggest media rights deal in Australian history.So what does the sheer amount of money on the table say about the state of Australia’s media industry? And with Nine, Foxtel and Stan all in the mix, who is actually going to foot the bill?Carrington Clarke and ABC Chief Business Correspondent Ian Verrender break it all down on ABC Business Daily.You can check out Ian's piece on the NRL here. Got a burning business question?Send a short voice recording to Carrington and the team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au and we'll attempt to answer it.

Why are there so many ETFs on the ASX?

With the financial year officially over, it's time to take stock of the Australian stock exchange, which saw a record number of Exchange Traded Funds added to its board last year.So what explains this spike in ETFs on the ASX? And who is actually utilising them?And while the value of Australian stocks did increase last financial year, the ASX lags far behind the gains of other global indexes.  What's behind the growth overseas? And what explains the gap?Carrington Clarke and ABC Business Correspondent David Taylor break it all down on ABC Business Daily.Hear today's episode of fuelcast - our last one, at least for now - here! Got a burning business question?We'd love to hear your questions! If there’s business and economic news that has you stumped or you'd like further insight into, we're here to help. Send a short voice recording to Carrington and the team at abcbusinessdaily@abc.net.au and we'll attempt to answer it.