If recent media reports can be believed, Angela Merkel has decided to run for a fourth term in 2017. This will come as a surprise to those who had speculated that the German Chancellor might resign sometime before the next election. Read more

Over the past weeks, we have heard a lot of talk about Asian buyers allegedly being responsible for skyrocketing house prices in Auckland. You sometimes get the impression that in New Zealand’s relationship with Asia and Asians, all that matters are their combined effects on Auckland property. Read more

When you are in a hole, you should stop digging. What sounds like timeless advice apparently does not apply in the eurozone. Read more

If you believe political pundits, New Zealand will go to the polls in late 2017. It could well be an election fought on personalities rather than on substance. Read more

Now that the Greek banks have re-opened, the third bailout package is on the way and something vaguely resembling normalcy is returning to Greece, we can finally deal with other things again: the euro crisis, for example. You may object that what kept us so excited, frightened and busy over the past few months was the euro crisis. Read more

If one wanted to summarise all of economics in just one word, what would it be? For obvious reasons it cannot be “supply and demand” (because that is three words). Read more

From Sunday, my colleague Jason Krupp and I will be attending the annual Local Government New Zealand conference. It is LGNZ’s flagship event of the year, bringing together 600 delegates from New Zealand's councils along with key players from the private sector, business, government and non-government agencies. Read more

As readers of this column will be aware, I am not Angela Merkel’s greatest fan. Nor do I think that her strategy on Greece has been particularly successful. Read more