NAB Morning Call

Tuesday 11th February 2025NAB Markets Research Disclaimer Financial Services Guide | Information on our services - NABTariffs could be back, with Donald Trump warning of 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports into the US. That would hit Mexico and Canada particularly hard, just as they thought they were off the hook (for now at least). But NAB’s Gavin Friend says there hasn’t been much more news on this since the President made the announcement on Sair Force One on Sunday. There’s some discussion about the three different classes of tariffs Trump could deploy and whether regions like Europe could be in the firing line. Gavin suggests a string representation of the new US administration at events in Europe this week could be part of a fact-finding mission to guide policy. Meanwhile, markets are positively sanguine, as they wait the next chapter in Trump’s trade plan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Monday 10th February 2025NAB Markets Research Disclaimer Financial Services Guide | Information on our services - NABToday China’s retaliatory measures against the US take effect and it seems unlikely that the event will pass without comment and threats from the US President. NAB’s Taylor Nugent says Trump might also elaborate on his plans for other regions, such as the EU. Meanwhile jobs numbers from the US on Friday has pushed back expectations around the timing of cuts by the Fed, reinforced by a rise in inflation expectations in the University of Michigan survey on Friday. Aside from tariff news it’s a relatively quiet week, although it’ll be interested to see how Jerome Powell faces two days of questions from parliamentarians this week, Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Friday 31st Janaury 2025PleLast year was a stellar year for growth. Kylie Willment, chief investment officer at Mercer, says they provided a 14 percent return for their superfunds in2024. She highlights a number of opportunities for this year. including growth in private markets. But how will she weather the uncertainty of a Trump administration, where radical trade policies can be implemented quickly? Will Mercer be shying away from investments in areas likely to attract tariffs, like Europe for example? And is AI a technology that will continue to dominate? Do you invest more in it, or diversity away from it? Kylie says we can ‘t expect to see the same level of growth this year, but is she willing to have a stab in the dark and predict the sort of returns we could see?ase note this communication is not a research report and has not been prepared by NAB Research analysts. Read the full disclaimer here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thursday 7th February 2025NAB Markets Research Disclaimer Financial Services Guide | Information on our services - NABNon-farms payrolls data is released later today in the US. NAB’s Taylor Nugent talks through some of this week’s other jobs-related data ahead of this key release. Meanwhile, good and bad news from the UK. The Bank of England cut rates by 25bp.Two members of the board wanted to go further. At the same time the bank cut its growth forecast and expects inflation to rise, extending the journey to their 2 percent target. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thursday 7th February 2025NAB Markets Research Disclaimer Financial Services Guide | Information on our services - NABThe US President veered away from talking about trade today and there seems to have been little market response to his thoughts on the Middle East. Instead, the focus is on the Fed and the labour market. The ADP Employment Report showed a surprising rise in new jobs, but it doesn’t follow that it’ll be reflected in non-farm payrolls on Friday. It rarely is. NAB’s Gavin Friend points out that the latest ISM Services index has US growth at a similar rate to Germany. There have been a few Fed speakers out over the last 24 hours, and NAB’s Gavin Friend reflects on their musings, particularly in relation to potential tariffs. The immediate focus now is on the Bank of England, expected to cut rates tonight. Australia’s trade numbers are also out today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wednesday 6th February 2025NAB Markets Research Disclaimer Financial Services Guide | Information on our services - NABMarkets have responded favourably to the news that tariffs have not gone ahead against Mexico and Canada although there is still a chance that there will be measures taken in relation to both countries strong balance of trade. It's likely if that happens that the EU will also be embroiled in that potential trade war. Hence markets have been positive on the latest news but there is still evidently some caution around what happens next. It means there is an unclear path forward for inflation and monetary policy which NAB’s Skye Masters says explains why there has been very little response in bond markets to all the latest tariff news. There’s also a focus now on U.S. jobs with JOLTs showing a sharp fall in job openings,then the ADP numbers out tonight ahead of non-farm payrolls on Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tuesday 5th February 2025NAB Markets Research Disclaimer Financial Services Guide | Information on our services - NABIs Donald Trump’s bark worse than his bite? At the last moment President Trump has stalled tariffs on Mexico for a month to give them time to negotiate a deal. As yet, no similar reprieve for Canada but, as NAB’s Ray Attrill points out, it has moderated the reaction, particularly in equities and FX markets. “Time to reread The Art of the Deal,” says Ray. Does this mean future proclamations are less solid? China, meanwhile, seems more conciliatory in its response, with the Wall Street Journal suggesting they want to return to a deal made in 2020 in which they promised to buy $200billion in US goods. At the time the President called it the “greatest deal ever made”. Will that be enough to pacify him this time? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Monday 4th February 2025NAB Markets Research Disclaimer Financial Services Guide | Information on our services - NABNow tariffs are real, well, they will be tomorrow, with 25% imposed by the US on imports from Mexico and Canada, and 10% on those from China, do we need to rethink expectations for global growth, inflation and monetary policy? Phil asks NAB’s Tapas Strickland how the evaluate their monetary policy approach in light of these changes. He also discusses the economic impacts on either side of thew US border.  Tariffs aside, it’s a busy week with Australian retails sales today and USD payrolls on Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Friday 31st Janaury 2025Please note this communication is not a research report and has not been prepared by NAB Research analysts. Read the full disclaimer here.It doesn’t take a genius to work out that the high price of housing is a function of supply and demand. Supply just isn’t keeping up with the growth in the population. But is that the only reason?Phil presents some alternative theories to Peter Tulip, chief economist at the Centre for Independent Studies. The availability of cheap credit, for example. Or government subsidies like the first-home buyer’s scheme.Peter argues these have all had little impact on long term prices, and it really does get down to supply and demand. He provides compelling evidence from home and overseas. Why this imbalance? NIMBYism? Perhaps the government's focus should be ondispelling the belief that more people mean worse local services. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Friday 31st January 2025NAB Markets Research Disclaimer Financial Services Guide | Information on our services - NABThe ECB cut rates as expected but, in line with other central banks lately, prefers not to map out their expectations for further cuts. NAB’s Ken Crompton says the market is fairly certain that more cuts will follow. Meanwhile, NAB has brought forward the timing of the next RBA cut - now expected in February.   Ken explains why the bank has changed its tune. There’s also talk about the response to yesterday’s Fed meeting and tech earnings, why gold is so strong and why the Yen has been the biggest currency mover this morning. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thursday 30th January 2025NAB Markets Research Disclaimer Financial Services Guide | Information on our services - NABWhat do the Fed, the Riksbank and the Bank of Canada all have in common? Well, they all just made rate policy announcements, but they have all refused to provide forward guidance, or even determine where inflation is heading. JB Were’s Sally Auld says there’s a lot more uncertainty beyond domestic fundamentals, US trade policy being a significant part of that. The Fed, for example, removed the statement from last time about continued disinflationary progress. It’s been a significant session, with the Fed followed by earnings from big tech players, including Microsoft, Meta and Tesla.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wednesday 29th January 2025NAB Markets Research Disclaimer Financial Services Guide | Information on our services - NABUS tech stocks regained some of their losses yesterday, and bond yields are back up today.  Why? Phil asks NAB’s Taylor Nugent whether the Deepseek fears were overblown. Taylor doesn’t think so, and tech bosses will have to have a convincing story to tell as they announce earnings results later this week. Meanwhile the US dollar has gained some ground on speculation that US tariffs will start low, but increase steadily from month to month, but it remains a confusing picture with talk of greater tariffs for Canada and Mexico, Taiwanese chip components and Colombia. Today the focus will be on Aussie CPI and the rate announcements from the Fed, the Bank of Canada and the Riksbank. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tuesday 28th January 2025NAB Markets Research Disclaimer Financial Services Guide | Information on our services - NABUS investors are reassessing the value of US AI related stocks on the realisation that China might have found a solution that can learn faster, at a lower cost, with less energy needs-and is available for all to share and use. If it lives up to the hyped it is a full-on assault on the concept of American exceptionalism led by AI and tech. As NAB’s Rodrigo Catril points out, President Trump has to respond, given the support he has been receiving from tech billionaires in the run up to the election, and since. The market response has beena move to bonds, and a rise in safe heaven currencies, like the Yen.  It provides a lively start to a week that includes a number of tech earning’s results (and calls), alongside the fed and ECB meetings. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Friday 24th January 2025Please note this communication is not a research report and has not been prepared by NAB Research analysts. Read the full disclaimer here.Telcos, like Telstra and Optus, have been forced to change a lot over recent years. Their traditional revenues – providing phone calls and text messages – are disappearing, replaced by data access. But even that faces pressures, as people’s data demands increase at a faster rate than their willingness to pay.Luke Coleman, the newly appointed CEO of the industry body The Communications Alliance describes to Phil how telcos are changing. The major online providers, like Google, Microsoft, Meta and Amazon, need an increasing amount of resilient, reliable data storage and processing power. Telcos have an increasing role in providing these centres, or, at the very least, the high speed fibre connections between these centres. As Luke explains, it’s growing, it has to stay on-shore, and continues to provide an opportunity for Australian investors. Hosted o

Friday 24th January 2025NAB Markets Research Disclaimer Financial Services Guide | Information on our services - NABStrickland says he was much more conciliatory concerning his relationship with China, whilst reiterating that companies the world over have a choice to produce goods in America, at the world’s lowest tax rates, or face tariffs on exports into America. He also asked OPEC to reduce oil prices, which did lower prices for a short while, but didn’t hold. There’s also discussion about the Norgesbank on the podcast today, who find themselves in a very similar position to the RBA, and the global PMIs today, possibly reinforcing the case of America exceptionalism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thursday 23rd January 2025NAB Markets Research Disclaimer Financial Services Guide | Information on our services - NABThere weren’t massive moves in any asset classes overnight. NAB’s Skye Masters says bonds were range bound with very little in the way of data, and nothing concrete from any of President Trump’s more contentious plans, particularly tariffs. It seems a review of trade will be completed on April 1st, so we could face several months of speculation before details firm up, meanwhile tech stocks have done well, in part because of strong earnings, such as Netflix after the close yesterday, as well as Trump’s proposed AI Masterplan. It’s second tier data today and tomorrow night, including Canadian retail sales and the US weekly jobless claims numbers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wednesday 22nd January 2025NAB Markets Research Disclaimer Financial Services Guide | Information on our services - NABIt’s the first full day for Donald Trump in the White House and markets are already assuming tariffs will take a bit of time and perhaps won’t be as pervasive as he was initially letting on. NAB’s Gavin Friend talks through the market response, which has assumed, ultimately, there will be a less radical approach to trade, with tariffs used as a leverage for a better trade balance. For Europe, for example, that could mean buying more energy and defence. On his counter to inflation, through a program of ‘drill baby drill’ Gavin doubts the US oil and gas industry will be that keen on upping production and seeing prices lowered. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tuesday 21st January 2025NAB Markets Research Disclaimer Financial Services Guide | Information on our services - NABDonald Trump is now the US President again. At his inauguration speech, on what he called Liberation Day, he outlined a slew of Executive Orders that he will sign in the next few hours. NAB’s Taylor Nugent says hours ahead of the inauguration the Wall Street Journal published a suggestion that tariffs might not be implemented from day one. That doesn’t mean they are off the agenda, however. The new President talked of an External Revenue Service that will collect “massive amount of money” from foreign countries as part of an overhaul of the trade system, that will see consumers paying less tax on goods, instead the cost will be incurred by foreign companies through tariffs and taxes. Taylor and Phil talk through some of the other plans and schemes that the new President intends to enact. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Monday 20th January 2025NAB Markets Research Disclaimer Financial Services Guide | Information on our services - NABUS markets are closed today, so a quiet start to a potentially very volatile week, depending on what executive orders the new President issues in his first week in The White House. NAB’s Ray Attrill says there was a reaction in the US dollar to a social media comment from Trump that a call with President Xi had gone well. There’s also been speculation in the Wall Street Journal about how China will respond to hefty tariffs, if imposed. If the response is to oversee the weakening of the Chinese currency, what impact will that have on the Aussie? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Friday 17th January 2025Please note this communication is not a research report and has not been prepared by NAB Research analysts. Read the full disclaimer here.The ABS Labour Market data showed a strong rise in the number of people employed in Australia. The unemployment rate at 4 percent is where it was a year ago, but more people have joined the workforce. So, why are more people taking on jobs? Phil talks to Bjorn Jarvis, branch head for Labour Statistics at the ABS. He provides some useful answers about who these new workers are and the perplexity about why Australia has a higher participation rate than many other countries. He provides some useful insights, but naturally steers away from the question everyone has -  is this low level of unemployment and high participation inflationary? And, after a year around 4 percent, is there anything to suggest the unemployment rate will tick higher anytime soon? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.