Melbourne CBD back to life
My first trip to Melbourne in nearly about 2½ years this week, to present at Pepperstone with former Foreign Minister and NSW Premier Bob Carr, Stephen Koukoulas from Market Economics, and Nadine Blayney from ausbiz TV.
There will be some key grabs out on Youtube in due course, showing our discussions on the Budget, geopolitics, immigration and demographics, and the housing market.
The obligatory 'night on the town' revealed Melbourne CBD to be gradually getting back to normal, despite many employees since self-isolating due to COVID rules.
Building approvals bounce
After the Omicron mayhem saw building approvals crunched lower in January, there was the expected bounce in February.
Despite the bounce, the overall trend remains pretty soft around the country as the HomeBuilder stimulus fades into the rear-view mirror.
The February bounce was overwhelmingly driven by...well, high-rise units (9+ storeys) in Melbourne.
It still appears to me that there will be a chronic supply shortage ahead as travel through the international borders reignites.
