NAB Morning Call

Tuesday 13th April 2021It’s been a fairly quiet session overnight, with bond auctions garnering a little less interest than last time, and more to come today. We also get CPI numbers for the US today. NAB’s Ray Attrill says the market is well prepared for a big jump in the yearly reading, but a significant upside surprise could raise questions about how transitory the rises are. Fed’s Bullard spoke about the potential to look at tapering of asset purchases when the US vaccine rate reaches 75% of the population. That’s assuming having the jab results in lower infection rates – Brazil is struggling to contain an outbreak after rolling out a vaccine with a low efficacy rate. NAB’s Business Survey is out today as well. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Monday 12th April 2021Equities in the US finished Friday on new highs, ahead of corporate earning this week and despite a rise in bond yields. NAB’s Tapas Strickland says a lot of the optimism is being driven by vaccine optimism, as President Biden once again brings the dates of his vaccine targets forward. The spectre of rising inflation continues to hang over markets, particularly as PPI prices rose last week. But Jerome Powell sued his 60 minutes appearance on US TV to again make the point that any rise in inflation would be transitory. Nonetheless, a poll of economists are expecting a rate rise at least a year ahead of the Fed’s schedule. Aussie jobs data will be a focus this week, along with China’s aggregate financing data. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Friday 9th April 2021Australia has become the latest nation to express concern about the use of the Astra Zeneca vaccines on young people, except here young is anyone under 50. N AB’s Tapas Strickland says it’s unlikely to slow down the speed of the vaccine rollout, but it could have consequences in Europe. Jerome Powell offered little new when he spoke on an IMF panel overnight, talking down the prospect of sustainable inflation. But the ANZ business survey for New Zealand showed rising inflation expectations. Phil Dobbie asks, what does the RBNZ do if inflation is maintained above its target rate, whilst the rest of the world doesn’t? And CPI numbers of China will be worth looking out for later today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thursday 8th April 2021It’s been one of the quietest sessions for some time. The FOMC said nothing that surprised markets, and Janet Yellen detailing how they would pay for the $2.25 trillion infrastructure package was met with a similar muted response. NAB’s Gavin Friend suggests the markets are considering a bit of rebalancing, particularly when it comes to Europe. Even if they are slower to recover the difference between the US and Europe will only be a few months. The destination is the same. The pound struggled today as an announcement was made about limiting use of the Astra Zeneca vaccine for the under thirties. Generally, though, the word ‘lacklustre’ sums up market action overnight. Sadly, the only currency to see significant losses was the Aussie dollar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wednesday 7th April 2021There were no significant market moves overnight. The US dollar has fallen a little further, bond yields are down and equities have cooled somewhat. NAB’s David de Garis says, maybe markets are taking Jerome Powell’s words to heart that it’s a long road ahead and the Fed is going to stay the course. That’s certainly the line echoed by the RBA yesterday even though, like the US, the news is largely positive. Vaccination rates continue to be a determinant of economic recovery, with Canada’s President Trudeau announcing a third wave on his home soil, where the number of people having the jab remains very low. FOMC minutes are out tomorrow; we’ll talk about those, hot off the press, tomorrow morning. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tuesday 6th April 2021US equities have been boosted by a string of positive data. The ISM manufacturing read at the end of last week bounced back sharply, and the services number reached a new record high this morning. Plus, non-farm payrolls on Friday also punched the lights out. NAB’s Ray Attrill says even though shares responded, Treasury yields are actually lower than they were before this swathe of positive numbers and the US dollar has fallen, indicating it is responding negatively to risk sentiment at the moment. Today the RBA meets, job vacancy numbers are out for Australia and the Caixin Services PMI is out in China. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thursday 1st April 2021Joe Biden and Treasury Secretary Yellen are about to give the details of their long-awaited infrastructure spending plan, but NAB’s Tapas Strickland tells Phil Dobbie that most of the detail has already been released. And the response to the markets has clearly been favourable, with share prices reaching new highs overnight. Bond yields have also been rising. They also discuss Australia’s residential building approvals, US jobs data and China’s rising PMIs. Tapas explains how a slower recovery in Europe could actual be good for the Chinese economy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wednesday 31st March 2021US 10 year Treasury yields hit a 14 month high overnight, as the US dollar rose higher. Phil Dobbie asks NAB’s Ray Attrill how much of today’s movement can be attributed to end of month and end of quarter rebalancing? And how much of a reaction can we expect after Joe Biden announces his infrastructure plan later tonight – which could cost anything from US$2.2 to 4 trillion. There are plenty of moving parts to influence markets, from the total size of the package to how it will be funded – government debt or taxation. There could also be a response to jobs numbers from the US today and on Friday. The Fed’s Raphael Bostic has predicted a million jobs a month over summer, if that happens sooner it could put pressure on bond yields over the long weekend. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tuesday 30th March 2021NAB’s Gavin Friend says, early in the session the fire-sale of $20 billion of stocks held by Archegos Capital was all everyone was talking about. But, as it became clear there was little further contagion, attention shifted to the floating of the Ever Given and the easing of lockdowns. The focus now, he says, is on price pressures, starting today as German reports preliminary inflation numbers for March. There will be a lot of attention focused on Joe Biden’s infrastructure proposal, with reports that the total spend could be as much as $4 trillion. Weekly Australian payrolls numbers are out today, but Thursday’s job vacancies data will garner much more interest. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Monday 29th March 2021There was quite a bit of optimism in the air on Friday as we career towards the end of the month and the end of the quarter this week. NAB’s David de Garis says this could account for some of the volatility we saw at the end of the week, with Goldman Sachs selling off $10.5 billion in stocks. Nonetheless, shares were up after a late in the session rally, which carried through to Asia. So, could there be more volatility in this shortened week? There will be a lot of attention on jobs numbers (in Australia and the US), whilst the blockage in the Suez will cause supply concerns. An attempt late Sunday to float the stranded vessel failed and now it seems the only way forward is to start removing containers, which will take time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Friday 26th March 2021It’s been another mixed session. NAB’s Gavin Friend says, on the one side there’s the tantalising prospect of an economic reopening in the northern hemisphere that is almost touchable, but there’s also the issues around vaccine production and, in Europe, concerns about how many people are prepared to take it. Equity markets are subdued, with another move away from tech stocks. Interest in the 7 year bond auction in the US was better than last time, but still cautious. Whilst most Fed speakers reiterate that, even though economic growth might be higher than expected by the year end, interest rates won’t budge till 2024, although Bostick predicts a much shorter timescale. Jo Biden, meanwhile, has doubled his forecast for the number of jabs in American arms in his first 100 days in office. And oil prices rose again as the Suez Canal remains closed, possibly for days, maybe even weeks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thursday 25th March 2021There’s a realisation emerging, says NAB’s Gavin Friend, that even though countries are pressing ahead with vaccine role outs, the speed of recovery might be slower than envisaged. The political wrangles over vaccines supplies from the EU have added to this feeling, with a risk-off mood returning slowly to markets. Oil rose sharply as an oversized ship has blocked the Suez Canal – expectations that it might quickly be moved have gone because, well, it’s still there. There’s a lot of bonds being auctioned in the US in the next 24 hours to keep a watchful eye on, and Joe Biden gives his first press conference, focusing on geopolitics and the Build Back Better infrastructure plans. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wednesday 24th March 2021Market sentiment has switched in the last 24 hours, with concerns that the economic recovery from COVID-19 might be slower than anticipated. The airline industry will feel some of the hurt, with European summer holidays likely to be off the agenda for most Brits. Janet Yellen and Jerome Powell were also guarded in their comments about the pace of recovery in the US, when they spoke to the House Financial Services Committee. The New Zealand dollar was the currency hit the hardest. NAB’s David de Garis says much of the fall is to do with government measures to try and restrict house price inflation, moving demand from investors to home buyers. Watch the PMIs tonight for signs of a widening gap between the European and UK economies, as Britain takes the jab many times faster than their cousins over the channel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tuesday 23rd March 2021There were big rises in US shares overnight, with the NASDAQ rising 1.7% in this session, helped by a moderate fall in Treasury yields. NAB’s Tapas Strickland says news of a higher than expected infrastructure spending plan also helped boost equities. Reports suggest as much as $3 trillion will be spent, a mere $1 trillion more than had been anticipated. Trials of the Astra Zeneca vaccine in the US also came up with very positive results, which could lead to approval, with the bonus of perhaps encouraging more Europeans to take the vaccine. The slow rollout is adding to the number of new cases in Europe and in parts of the US, which could slow the speed of economic recovery. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Monday 22nd March 2021The Fed will push on with ending its lower capital requirements held against Treasurys, sticking with a schedule that will see the so-called supplementary-leverage ratio (SLR) ending on 31st March. Although not unexpected, NAB’S Rodrigo Catril says it risks weakening the appetite for bonds at a time when there is a much higher issuance doing down the pipeline. He explains why markets calmed down a little later I the Friday session. Today we can expect some response to President Erdogan’s decision to sack Turkey’s central bank governor for having the temerity to raise interest rates. Otherwise, it could be a fairly quiet start to the week. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Friday 19th March 2021There was more reaction to the FOMC meeting today, with bond yields rising sharply. Oil has also risen a lot as tensions mount between the US and Russia. Biden referring to Putin as a “killer” doesn’t seem to have gone down too well, and now with the threat of sanctions from the US there are fears Russia will up oil production in response to impact the US shale oil industry. The Bank of England followed the same script as the FOMC overnight, expecting a faster recovery but, just like the Fed, they are going to let the economy run hot before they contemplate a rate rise. As NAB’s David de Garis points out, the UK would relish the idea of the economy running hot anytime soon. In Australia labour market data was a big upside surprise, with unemployment down to levels not forecast to be reached for a year. Perhaps today’s retail numbers will also be welcome news. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thursday March 18th 2021The Fed has upped its growth expectations for the US economy, driven by the fiscal support and the vaccine rollout. But Fed Chair Powell says they are still expecting to keep interest rates low through to 2023, and they are not even talking about starting to talk of tapering of their QE activity anytime soon. He also said inflation was expected to pick up in the shorter term, but this would be transitory. Phil Dobbie asks NAB’s Gavin Friend whether the markets are convinced on this. Plus, what to except from NZ GDP this morning, and Australia’s labour market data from the ABS today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wednesday 17th March 2021There wasn’t much movement in shares, bond yields or currencies overnight, despite weaker retail numbers out of the US. It’s a different story for Australia with strong jobs data yesterday ahead of the official ABS Labour market data later in the week. NAB’s David de Garis says the RBA has suggested that many big companies have already made their adjustments on employment levels ahead of the end of JobKeeper, so there is a reduced risk of any sort of shock as the scheme closes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tuesday 16th March 2021The fear of blood clots from injections means use of the Astra Zeneca vaccine has been suspended in an increasing number of European countries, slowing down the rollout, whilst the UK pushes ahead, reaching almost 40 percent of the population so far. This issue of lagging behind is not just impacting the economy, but is also playing into the strength of the Euro, says NAB’s Rodrigo Catril. Generally though it’s been a quiet session, with minimal movement sin bond yields, shares and currencies, ahead of the FOMC meeting later in the week. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Monday 15th March 2021Bonds yields rose sharply again on Friday, with 10 year Treasuries reaching their highest level since February last year. NAB’s Tapas Strickland says the inflation break-even component actually fell slightly, as the Michigan Consumer Sentiment survey showed inflation expectations had fallen slightly. Meanwhile the cyclical rotation theme continues as the vaccination rollout accelerates in the US and UK. It’s a different story in Europe, of course, with Italy returning to lockdown today as infection numbers rise sharply, with Germany heading in the same direction. The FOMC will be the main focus this week, along with Aussie retail sales and employment numbers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.