NAB Morning Call

Friday 20th August 2021There are more concerns over the global growth story, with commodity prices falling and the Aussie dollar one of the hardest hit currencies this morning. NAB’s David de Garis says China’s growth is one of the biggest concerns. Phil Dobbie asks whether expectations were set too high. COVID case rises continue to play on uncertainty, with another report showing how the efficacy of vaccines can quickly deteriorate, hence the need for booster shots. Debates over the time of the Fed’s tapering continues, but it’s unlikely we’ll hear more at Jackson Hole next week. Aussie employment numbers yesterday might have surprised on the upside, but it wasn’t as strong as the headline would suggest and, in any case, it won’t last with lockdowns continuing. Once again, COIVD cases for NSW, Victoria and NZ will be the most important numbers of the day today.

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Thursday 19th August 2021The RBNZ didn’t push interest rates up yesterday, in light of the national lockdown. NAB’s David de Garis says the decision has been pushed back to October, all being well. It all depends on COVID numbers of course. Australia’s jobs numbers today are less relevant than usual given that they only covered the start of the NSW lockdown – the real numbers of concern will be infection rates. The FOMC minutes highlighted the divide that exists in the Fed on the speed of tapering, with Bullard suggesting tapering should be pushed back to next year, but finished in time for a rate hike later in the year. All this is putting markets on hold, with shares taking a knock and bond yield hardly moving.

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Wednesday 18th August 2021With New Zealand in lockdown will the RBNZ still push ahead with its expected rate rise today? NAB’s Rodrigo Catril says central banks take a mid-term view, and the inflation and housing pressures remain, so it’s likely they will stick with the plan, but by no means certain. US markets took a confidence hit as retail sales and the NAHB housing index both came in much lower than expected. There was further evidence of rising costs, which were also reflected in the UK’s employment numbers yesterday. Today UK inflation data is out, plus Australia’s wage price index, and the FOMC minutes. And that RBNZ decision.

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Tuesday 17th August 2021Markets remain unsure as to the speed of the global recovery, but there’s mounting evidence that the full extent of the rebound will be delayed. That’s obviously the case in Australia, but the US we reported on Friday’s falling consumer sentiment, overnight the Empire State manufacturing index underwhelmed. This will increase the focus on US retail sales today. Overnight, though, the response has been to data from China, where retail sales, industrial production and fixed asset investment – were all weaker than anticipated, with the unemployment rate ticking up a little too. NAB’s Ray Attrill talks through NAB’s revised forecast for China’s growth. Locally the RBA minutes are out today, but they are somewhat out of date, given the change in circumstances.

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Monday 16th August 2021The US dollar lost a lot of ground on Friday, with Treasury yields falling, both on the back of a much weaker than expected consumer confidence report in the US. NAB’s Tapas Strickland says this is the lowest read since the pandemic began. So, will treasury yields bounce back? Supply concerns have been exacerbated by the temporary closure of one of the world’s busiest container ports, after just one COVID case. Could a zero-COVID policy from China lead to much more disruption in coming months? Locally lockdowns look set to continue for longer, but the expectation is that the economy will bounce back quickly afterwards, provided we don’t see a significant rise in unemployment. Activity numbers from China today will give an indication of the extent of the slowdown in the recovery of the global economy.

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Friday 13th August 2021There was very little movement in the markets overnight, with thing trading during the northern summer, compounded by any significant news. Bond yields have edged higher, with another successful auction, whilst equities have ground higher, with new highs for the S&P. NAB’s Gavin Friend says we’re at the point of the month when things quieten down. Even news of more regulation from China did little to impact markets. UK GDP was strong and US jobless claims fell, but these, and other data points overnight, came as no surprise to anyone. So a quiet day. Enjoy it while it lasts.

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Thursday 12th August 2021US CPI eased in July. NAB’s David de Garis says it was helped by less pressure on used car prices and airline fares, whilst food prices remain elevated. It means the Fed can focus on reaching their employment target, whatever that target is. In a speech overnight Raphael Bostic suggested it wasn’t just about hitting full employment, it was also about fixing the inequality brought about by the pandemic. Meanwhile, the market is sold on the idea of tapering starting sometime in the next few months. At home, consumer confidence fell, but optimism is greater amongst those who have had the jab. UK GDP numbers are out today and will be better than last time, simply because it covers a period when lockdowns eased.

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Wednesday 11th August 2021Markets are a little more optimistic today, but there seems little rhyme nor reason. NAB’s Ray Attrill says oil has bounced back, seemingly ignoring yesterdays concerns about slowing demand from China in light of COVID cases and lockdowns, even though the situation is only getting worse. The NAB Business Survey demonstrates the extent of the situation in Australia. Could a protracted lockdown see the RBA reverse its decision to introduce tapering next month? Generally, markets are looking for direction. Even the passing of Biden’s Infrastructure Bill through the senate has seen very little response. Will the US CPI numbers today provide some direction?

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Tuesday 10th August 2021The UN chief has called the latest IPCC report on climate change “a code red for humanity”. The shorter timeframes for rising temperatures has not had any market influence. NAB’s Tapas Strickland says, instead, the focus has been split between how quickly the Fed will introduce tapering, and concerns over whether the recovery will slow, with rising cases and more lockdowns. Oil has fallen further as flight numbers fall and the anticipation of less travel for the remainder of the year increases. Today the NAB Business Survey will reflect the lockdowns in Sydney and beyond, which Tapas points out, are likely to extend beyond the assumptions in the RBA’s latest forecasts.

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Monday 9th August 2021There was a strong market reaction to Friday’s non-farm payrolls in the US, which NAB’s Rodrigo Catril says was at the top end of a broad range of expectations. The question is, does this represent the substantial progress that the FOMC is looking for before tapering bond purchases. It depends on which Fed member you are listening to. We’ve seen the response to the jobs numbers in equity markets, bond yields and the strengthening of the US dollar. That’s contributed to a weaker Aussie and Kiwi dollar, which could take another hit from weaker trade data from China over the weekend. So, will the Aussie recover? Protracted lockdowns will have an impact, with NAB at odds with the RBA on near term growth. How quick the recovery, obviously depends on vaccine rates.

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