With Narendra Modi's visit to Australia, we ask if economic diplomacy actually works. Plus, the debt ceiling draws closer and the AI boom gathers steam.

With the passing of Robert Lucas, the champion of rational expectations theory and one of the most influential economists of the last 50 years, we ask whether his legacy holds up. Plus, with unemployment edging up, consumer confidence down and wages continuing to disappoint, we look ahead to the RBA's June meeting. 

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has delivered the first budget surplus in 15 years, helped by the boom in jobs and commodity prices. The government has used the windfall to deliver a cost of living package targeted at the most vulnerable, but will the spending stoke inflation and prove counterproductive? Plus, the US is again facing a debt ceiling crisis and we say vale to the great Allan Gyngell AO.

A surprise rate rise and a surprise host on the 150th episode of the pod.

Inflation eased off in the first quarter of the year and we appear to be past the peak. So will the RBA continue to leave rates on hold next week? Plus, more on the tight rental market.

The review of the RBA is in. We look at what's changing, what's not changing and the critique of the bank's performance.

The boom in jobs continues in Australia and consumer confidence is bouncing back, but does this mean another rate rise is on the horizon? Plus, US inflation, Sydney NIMBYs and the IMF's gloomy forecasts for the global economy.

A rapid fire episode as Mark and Ivan both battle colds.

The RBA pauses and house prices are on the march again. Will it be enough and where will it end?

The markets are expecting the RBA to pause the rate hikes next week with the global financial turmoil and inflation seemingly having peaked. Is Philip Lowe finally going to ease up on the beleaguered Australian mortgage holder? Plus, Deutsche Bank credit default swap shenanigans and we ask if the AI productivity revolution is already here.

In Switzerland, they had brotherly love, and they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and yet their second largest bank has still collapsed. What went wrong? It's a story of fraud, spying, kickbacks, Bulgarian drug-dealers and all-round Suisse poor risk management. Plus, the Fed keeps hiking through the turmoil, do bailouts sow the seeds of the next crisis, and JPMorgan is left holding a bag of rocks.

Apologies for Ivan's terrible audio in this episode. He was reporting from deep under the water where you can find Credit Suisse's AT-1 bonds.