SAUL ESLAKE

Economist

SAUL ESLAKE

‘Welcome to my website …
I’m an independent economist, speaker, company director
and Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow at the University of Tasmania’

About Me


Saul Eslake is one of Australia’s best-known economists. He’s been following, analyzing and offering commentary and advice on the Australian and other economies for more than 40 years.

Since 2015 Saul has been running his own independent economics advisory and consultancy service, Corinna Economic Advisory, from Hobart, Tasmania. He prepares a weekly Chart Pack covering developments in the global economy and financial markets, and in the Australian, New Zealand, Chinese and other Asian, US and European economies. The weekly Chart Pack also covers central bank and fiscal policy actions, and provides clients with a range of other analysis and commentary.

He does keynote addresses at public and private conferences; participates in panel discussions; presents to boards, investment and asset allocation committees; undertakes customized analyses and reports for corporate, investor, not-for-profit and government clients; has given testimony to Parliamentary Committees; and appears frequently on radio and TV and in the print media in Australia and other countries.

His clients and subscribers include Australian and overseas institutional and private equity investors; large and small corporates; government agencies; industry and professional organizations; ‘think tanks’; social and environmental organizations; housing associations; and (occasionally) even political parties.

Saul’s economic analysis and economic reports have covered broad macro-economic themes including economic and employment growth, inflation, international trade, commodity prices, bond and currency markets, labour markets, productivity, climate change, household and corporate debt, public finance, fiscal and monetary policy, inter-government financial relations, taxation, climate change, and regulatory issues. He has also undertaken and published research on specific industries or themes including housing, tourism, agriculture, energy, infrastructure investment, metals and minerals, poverty alleviation, income distribution and inequality, taxation reform, shipping and transport, the future of work, and regional development.

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In 2021 Corinna Economic Advisory joined with a similar London-based economics consultancy, Llewellyn Consulting, to form Independent Economics, to offer similar services to clients around the world.

Saul has been the Australian representative on the International Conference of Commercial Bank Economists (ICCBE) since 2003, and chaired its Steering Committee between 2018 and 2021.

He is also a Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow at the University of Tasmania; a member of the Australian Parliamentary Budget Office’s panel of expert advisors, and a member of Australian Taxation Office’s ‘Tax Gap’ expert advisory panel; and a non-executive director of the Macquarie Point Development Corporation, which is managing the re-development of a 14-ha parcel of land adjoining Hobart’s iconic waterfront.

Saul began his career as an economist working for the Australian Treasury, in its Fiscal and Monetary Policy sections, in Canberra, which provided him with a very solid grounding in how macro-economic policies are formulated and implemented. He then worked for the Advisory Council for Inter-Government Relations (specializing in federal-state financial relations and in housing policy) and for the Opposition (Minority) Leader in the Parliament of the State of Victoria, before landing his first position in Australia’s financial markets. Saul then worked in the markets for 25 years, including as Chief Economist at McIntosh Securities (when it was one of Australia’s leading stockbroking firms) in the second half of the 1980s; Chief Economist (International) for the investment management division of National Mutual Life Association (then Australia’s second largest life insurance company) in the first half of the 1990s; Chief Economist at the Australia & New Zealand Banking Group (one of Australia’s four large commercial banks) between 1995 and 2009; and Chief Economist (Australia and New Zealand) for Bank of America Merrill Lynch (one of the world’s largest investment banks) between 2011 and 2015.

He has also previously been a member of the Australian Government’s Foreign Affairs and Trade Policy Advisory Councils; its Tourism Forecasting Committee and Long-Term Tourism Strategy Steering Committee; and its National Housing Supply Council. He’s also previously been Chair of the Tasmanian Arts Advisory Board, which advised on the distribution of grants to arts companies and individual artists. He’s also been a non-executive director of the Gas & Fuel Corporation of Victoria; the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute; Hydro Tasmania; and Housing Choices Australia.

Saul has a first class honours degree in Economics from the University of Tasmania; and a Post Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment from the Securities Institute of Australia (now known as FinSIA). He has completed the Senior Executive Program at the Columbia University Graduate School of Business; and (with Merit) the Company Directors’ Course of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He also holds a Doctor of Laws (Honoris Causa) degree from the University of Tasmania.

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ECONOMIC CHART PACK


Beginning in June 2020, Saul began publishing the Coronavirus Impact Chart Pack, a weekly publication tracking the course of Covid-19 and its impact on economies around the world, including Australia and New Zealand. Starting at just under 60 pages, by the second half of 2021 it had grown to more than 150 pages.

From the beginning of this year, 2022, the Chart Pack has been replaced with three separate publications:

Each of these chart packs will continue to trace the impact of the virus (for as long as that’s relevant), economic data, developments in monetary and fiscal policy, trends in financial markets, and (where relevant) political developments. They will be accessible to subscribers of the Premium Access package.

The World Economy chart pack will have sections covering the global economy, and the economies of major regions – including the United States, Europe, China, Japan, other East Asian countries, India, Canada, Australia and New Zealand (very briefly), Latin America and Central & Eastern Europe.


"I see a lot of chart packs in my line of work, but yours is about the best I have seen. It is amazingly comprehensive, covering far more of the world than any individual is entitled to cover, the charts are clear and easy to understand and they drill down into each topic in a very satisfying way. So well done, Saul."

Alan Kohler, ABC finance presenter, founder of Eureka Report


"A timely and comprehensive summary from one of Australia's best economists."

Adam Creighton, Economics Editor for The Australian


“I continue to find your thinking invaluable - this year to my ritual weekend reading of the economist I have happily added ‘Saul’s latest’.”

Rufus Black, former Managing Partner of McKinsey’s, and currently Vice-Chancellor of the University of Tasmania


“Your chart pack is amazing - and thanks for offering to add me to the mailing list, that would be great to be included. Everything you could want to know is there - and the way the data are organised and presented to tell the stories makes it so easy to follow.”

Prof Jeff Borland, Truby Williams Professor of Economics, The University of Melbourne, Website


“An excellent summary. Although I take a great interest in what’s happening with COVID-19 day by day In Australia and Internationally, I always find your weekly summary a very interesting review of the past week.”

retired former Chief Executive Officer of a District Hospital Service in New South Wales


THE WORLD ECONOMY THIS WEEK
5th September 2022



This chart pack, published on Monday morning (Eastern Australian time) each week, portrays developments in the global economy and in the economies of major nations and regions – the United States, Europe, China, Japan, other East Asian economies, India, Canada, Australia & New Zealand*, Latin America and Central & Eastern Europe – with particular emphasis on:

  • the impact of Covid-19,
  • economic growth,
  • labour markets,
  • international trade and payments,
  • inflation,
  • fiscal and monetary policy,
  • bond, currency and stock markets, and
  • where relevant, political developments

The pack typically runs to 110-120 pages and includes more than 570 individual charts as well as tables and text.

* for more detailed coverage of Australia and New Zealand please see The Australian Economy this Week and The New Zealand Economy this Month, respectively.

THE WORLD ECONOMY THIS WEEK 2022-09-05

THE AUSTRALIAN ECONOMY THIS WEEK
2nd September 2022



This chart pack, published on Friday evening (Eastern Australian time) each week, portrays developments in the Australian economy, with particular emphasis on:

  • the impact of Covid-19,
  • broad indicators of economic growth,
  • conditions in the business sector
  • the household sector, and consumer spending
  • housing finance and construction. and the residential property market
  • the labour market
  • commodity prices, trade and the balance of payments
  • inflation,
  • fiscal and monetary policy,
  • Australian financial markets

Closer to this year’s federal elections – which have to be held no later than 29th May – we will include some pages on political developments as well.

The pack typically runs to 80-90 pages and includes some 280 charts.

For coverage of the global economy, please see The World Economy this Week

THE AUSTRALIAN ECONOMY THIS WEEK 2022-09-02

EVENTS

Saul Eslake online presentation


“You are the best economic thinker in the country hands down”

Sheryle Bagwell, recently retired Senior Business Correspondent (and sometime Executive Producer),
ABC Radio National Breakfast


“Just want to congratulate you Saul on the unbelievably good set of slides you just presented, possibly the best I have ever seen. You have set the bar very high.”

Dr Joe Flood, Adjunct Fellow, RMIT University, Pandemicia


“Thank you very much for your excellent presentation for the Economic Society today. It is always a great pleasure to hear your eloquent, up-to-date and comprehensive talks.”

Andrew Trembath, economist, Victorian and Australian Government agencies


online events @ saul-eslake.com



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WHAT'S NEW

Most Recent Articles, Talks and Presentations


The World Economy this Week 2022-09-05

The World Economy This Week | 5th September 2022

The Australian Economy this Week 2022-09-02

The Australian Economy This Week | 2nd September 2022

Towards a Healthy Housing System and Why Social Housing isn’t Enough on its Own
Housing
17th August 2022


Papua New Guinea in the World Economy
The Global Economy
15th August 2022


Some Reflections on Inflation, Economic Growth and on Monetary and Fiscal Policy
Economic Policies, The Australian Economy
11th August 2022


The Risk of Recession
Economic Video, News, Recent Media Interview, The Australian Economy
10th August 2022


Managing the Budget
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Economic Video, The Australian Economy
9th August 2022


Treasurer’s Ministerial Statement on the Economy
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, News, Recent Media Interview, The Australian Economy
31st July 2022


June quarter inflation figures
News, Recent Media Interview, The Australian Economy
28th July 2022


Consumer prices surge to 21-year high
Economic Policies, News, Recent Media Interview, The Australian Economy
27th July 2022


Critics call for World Trade Organization reform
Globalization, Recent Media Interview, The Global Economy
27th July 2022


The Australian Economy – What’s in Store?
The Australian Economy
20th July 2022


The risks of recessions in Europe, the US and Australia
Economic Policies, News, Recent Media Interview, The Australian Economy, The Global Economy
13th July 2022


RBA raised rate for the third time
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Housing, Recent Media Interview, The Australian Economy
6th July 2022


VIDEO

Recent Presentations


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TESTIMONIALS

What Others Say


“You are one of the best at what you do in the world”
Gail Fosler, Chief Economist, The Conference Board, New York, December 2002

“I have never known an economist to have such a knowledge of world economic facts and to be able to bring to bear so much information in answering a question without notice”
Charles Goode, Chairman, ANZ Bank, July 2009

“Saul Eslake is … a highly regarded independent economist with the highest degree of integrity"
John Durie, Columnist, The Australian, July 2009

“… one of the few people in this world who can have so many oranges up in the air at the same time but still manage to catch them"
Andrew Clark, journalist, Australian Financial Review, November 2008

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LINKS

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