NAB Morning Call

Friday 24th November 2023Please note this communication is not a research report and has not been prepared by NAB Research analysts. Read the full disclaimer here.Consolidation will continue in the superannuation industry as a way of provided better returns for members. That’s the prediction from Mercer’s Chief Investment Officer Kylie Willment, talking to Phil on the Weekend Edition. Mercer recently merged with BP Super, of course, and Kylie says they are always on the look out for other opportunities. They are also focusing more on unlisted assets, that can provide value with more predictable returns. She talks through their key areas of focus. Finally, the Achilles Heal of Australian super is how funds manage the post-retirement relationship with members. Kylie says it’s what stopped Australia getting an A+ grade in the latest Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Friday 24th November 2023NAB Markets Research Disclaimer Financial Services Guide | Information on our services - NABMarkets were relatively quiet overnight with the US off for Thanksgiving, but stronger PMI data from Europe created some interest, pushing the Euro higher, but NAB’s Ray Attrill still says German can expect to enter a shallow recession. The pound performed slightly better because it provided the only PMI number that actually indicated growth. The Riksbank surprised by keeping rates on hold and right-wing anti-EU candidate Geert Wilders won the most votes in the Dutch general election. Today US PMIs will provide a useful comparison to the European numbers, and one month out from the next BoJ meeting we’ll get to see Japan’s CPI numbers today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thursday 23rd November 2023NAB Markets Research Disclaimer Financial Services Guide | Information on our services - NABAustralian inflation is now driven by local factors. That’s what the RBA’s Michelle Bullock said at the Australian Business Economists dinner last night. JBWere’s Sally Auld says it doesn’t sound like a central bank that’s done with interest rate hikes, and points to how we are sitting 100 basis points below our economic peers. So can we really expect to get away with just one more rate hike? Meanwhile softer data from the US, mixed, curiously, with rising inflation expectations. Oil is choppy ahead of the delayed OPEC+ meeting – Sally explains the significance of the delay. And the UK’s min-budget delivered little except a forecast for growth next year, light on business investment and heavily dependent on government consumption, whilst the Chancellor’s rhetoric promised the opposite. European PMIs are the big numbers today but trade will be light tonight as the US starts Thanksgiving. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wednesday 22nd November 2023NAB Markets Research Disclaimer Financial Services Guide | Information on our services - NABThe FOMC minutes were cagey when it came to the prospect of rate cuts. The RBA minutes were the same, with Michelle Bullock also reiterating her concerns about persistent wage inflation. And the Bank of England’s Andrew Bailey told UK politicians that markets were getting ahead of themselves when it came to pricing rate drops. Hence the mood is a little more sombre, with falls in equities and little movement in bonds. Oil has also been up and down today ahead of OPEC+ at the weekend. There are geopolitical factors at play too – a budget crisis in Germany and fears Iran is supplying ballistic missiles to Russia. Today it’ll be interesting to see if the inflation expectations from the University of Michigan survey fall back down, after their surprise lift last time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tuesday 21st November 2023NAB Markets Research Disclaimer Financial Services Guide | Information on our services - NABThere was a big 20-year Treasury auction today, which went better than expected. NAB’s Rodrigo Catril says markets had assumed a flood of new issuance in a short week would suppress demand, but that wasn’t the case. Elsewhere, the overseas Yuan hit its highest level since early September. More positive sentiment from China is helping lift iron ore prices further, which is positive for the Australian dollar. Two sets of minutes are out in the next 24 hours – from the RBA and the FOMC. The Fed minutes were quickly outdated by the softer than expected inflation data in the US.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Monday 20th November 2023NAB Markets Research Disclaimer Financial Services Guide | Information on our services - NABIt was a quite day on Friday with very little of earth-shattering consequence to report. NAB’s Ken Crompton joins Phil to talk about just how devoid of new sit was. We did see a downside surprise in UK retail numbers but, as flagged on Friday podcast, it was a very wet month. Loil is up on the news that OPEC+ will extend its production cuts into the new year. Today is equally as quiet – if not more so – for data releases, but things do hot up later in the week with the release of PMIs, just as America sits down to its roast turkey dinner. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Friday 17th November 2023Please note this communication is not a research report and has not been prepared by NAB Research analysts. Read the full disclaimer here.Ethical investment, or ESG; it’s being talked about more and more. It seems more people want to be involved, so long as it provides the returns they expect. This week Phil is joined by Maria Loyez, Chief Customer Officer at Australian Ethical, a fund manager specialising in responsible investments. How does she see the balance between making the right choice for the planet and seeing a worthwhile return for investments by your business, your customers, or your own personal fund? Can you make money and save the planet? Yes, you can, says Maria so long as you recognise that ethical investments do not perform in the same way as an index fund. There’s also discussion on the findings in this week’s ‘2023 Responsible Investing Report’, published jointly with industry research firm Investment Trends.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Friday 17th November 2023NAB Markets Research Disclaimer Financial Services Guide | Information on our services - NABSo, after the excitement of softening inflation in the US comes concern that its being accompanied by a delayed slowdown in the economy. That was certainly reflected in some of the second tier US data, and could explain a further fall in oil prices. NAB’s Tapas Strickland says Walmart reported weak sales too in October but highlighted an expected period of deflation in the months to come. Put all the pieces together and markets are increasing the expectation for rate cuts next year. It'll be a while before the RBA cuts rates, but at least yesterday’s surprise increase in employment numbers wasn’t enough to raise the likelihood of a December hike. Instead they’ll wait for the next set of inflation numbers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thursdsay 16th November 2023NAB Markets Research Disclaimer Financial Services Guide | Information on our services - NABGoldilocks continues to deliver what America wants, with softer producer prices and only a slight move down in retail sales. Equity markets continue to enjoy the party, although bond yields are back on the rise. Hardly surprising given the scale of the moves this week, says NAB’s Tayor Nugent. A fall in oil should also not be over-interpreted, given the recent moves. Has the Goldilocks effect also moved to the UK. Okay, the economy isn’t as strong, but CPI has come down faster than expected, adding to the belief that the BoE has probably done all it need to do. The same isn’t being said about the RBA. Will they be influenced by today’s employment numbers? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wednesdsay 15th November 2023NAB Markets Research Disclaimer Financial Services Guide | Information on our services - NABUS inflation fell further than most expected – although NAB had predicted a downward surprise. NAB’s Gavin Friend talks about the market response, which has been felt in equities, bonds and the dollar. It follows two big drops in Eurozone inflation, adding to the view that the worst is over and central banks can start focus on dropping rates rather than lifting. The US CPI comes in the thick of a range of critical data, including UK employment, Australian wages data, UK CPI, Japan’s CPI and a plethora of China numbers too. No wonder the markets are busy, and keen to party. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.