NAB Morning Call

Thursday 13th May 2021US CPI numbers came in on the high side today, and markets have reacted swiftly, with equities falling sharply and the bond sell-off pushing Treasury yields up, although not quite as high as late March when inflation fears were at fever pitch. Phil Dobbie asks NAB’s David de Garis whether the market is over-reacting. After all, it’s one month, it includes the base effect of last year’s lockdowns and the core number is not too far from the Fed’s target range. It could easily settle down in a month or two. The UK could be next to see this supply driven inflation ramp up, with the GDP numbers showing a significant rise in March, even before lockdown was fully eased. There’s only one focus for the markets right now and nobody is exactly sure how it will play out.

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Wednesday 12th May 2021Equities have taken a tumble again in the US, with the falls broader than just tech stocks. Europe too has seen sharp falls. This risk off mood is being driven by increasing inflation concerns, as evidence mounts that supply restraints are pushing up producer prices, which will eventually be passed on to the consumer. NAB’s Gavin Friend says vertigo is another factor, shares have risen so much this year that investors are worried. There’s also discussion on the Australian budget, China’s rising PPI numbers and why the rise in European bond yields this morning?

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Tuesday 11th May 2021Inflation expectations continues to influence markets, with NAB’s Rodrigo Catril explaining why it has such a marked impact on tech stocks. Inflation in supply chains is a theme around the world, and tonight’s PPI numbers from China are expected to give another clear indication. The pound has had a string session as Britain prepares for more lockdown easing – and Boris Johnson promising the return of hugging – from next Monday. Locally, the focus will be the Federal Budget, and the implications for the RBA of a smaller deficit and less bond issuance.

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Monday 10th May 2021US non-farm payrolls markedly undershot market expectations on Friday, with just 266 thousand new payrolls, versus the expectation of close to one million. NAB’s Tapas Strickland says some argue that the $300 a week jobless supplement is delaying the return to work. Nonetheless, investors took it as a sign that government stimulus would continue and that the Fed’s program would continue on schedule, with no moves until a string of months with strong recovery in jobs numbers. In Australia all eyes will be on the revised government deficit in the Federal Budget tomorrow. Can the RBA continue with the current scale of bond buying if the government is issuing less of them?

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Friday 7th May 2021The Bank of England has upped its forecasts for the growth of the UK economy this year – from 5 percent a few months ago, up to 7.25 percent. The recovery is booming, it seems, but let’s not get carried away, said BoE Governor Andrew Bailey. NAB’s David de Garis looks at the implications of the new forecast on their policy decisions moving forward. The RBA has also been in the spotlight, with Guy Debelle talking in Perth last night and suggesting that inflation forecasts were of less interest to the bank than the inflation that was actually being experienced. Tonight non-farms payrolls will be the focus in the US, where the economy is also bouncing back and jobs will be part of it, but just how quickly?

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Thursday 6th May 2021The Fed’s board continues to talk down the prospect of tapering, pushing the argument that price rises will be transitory. There was more evidence of prices being hit by supply chain issues in the services ISM numbers in the US this morning. It might be a different story in the UK. NAB’s Gavin Friend says its line ball as to whether the Bank of England will highlight the prospect of tapering this year. Guy Debelle might add some thoughts on the timeline for the RBA’s bond buying when he talks in Perth this afternoon. The UK also goes to the polls today, with the question of whether an increase in the SNP vote could force the case for another Scottish independence referendum.

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Wednesday 5th May 2021Janet Yellen surprised the markets this morning suggesting that it might be necessary to raise interest rates to stop the economy from overheating. A call to be made by the Federal reserve, not the Treasury Secretary. Initial market reaction was paired back as the reading of the intent and timing of the comments was watered down. Meanwhile, shares fell in the UK and Europe, although big -tech fared worse than cyclicals. The RBA has upped their growth forecasts for Australia, and cut their unemployment rate expectations, whilst the RBNZ’s Financial Stability Report will be looked at with keen interest to see the influence of a housing market running hot.

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Tuesday 4th May 2021Demand is outstripping supply on both sides of the Atlantic. That fact shone through in today’s US manufacturing ISM, which, whilst still well over 509, at 60.7 it is quite a bit down on March, with a rising number of backorders and increasing material costs. It’s a similar story in Europe, where manufacturing PMIs for April have been revised down a little. NAB’s Rodrigo Catril says there is little doubt that inflation is coming, the question is, for how long and how deep? The RBA meets today, their statement will foreshadow the forecasts in Friday’s Statement on Monetary Policy.

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Monday 3rd May 2021What data there was on Friday was largely good news, apart from the horrific turn of events in India. In the US, though, reads on consumer sentiment and Chicago’s PMI came out stronger than expected. Yet markets turned a little sour at the end of the week, with equities sharply down, and commodity prices falling. NAB’s Tapas Strickland says month-end positioning will be partially to blame, along with concerns about market valuations. Another positive indicator for the US was a 21 percent surge in personal income in the US. Will this flow through to stellar GDP growth in Q2, and if so, what does this do t the prospects for Biden’s next stimulus package or for the Fed’s resistance to tapering?

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Friday 30th April 2021It’s been a choppy session for US stocks, even though the news on the economy was largely positive and earnings results have been strong. Still, equities generally pushed higher, with the S&P500 getting over the 42,000 level. Commodities have also been rising sharply, with copper breaking $10,000 momentarily. NAB’s David de Garis talks about how supply chain issues are pushing prices higher, particularly the supply of chips which is slowing car production in the US AND Japan. Commodities generally are impacting the prices paid for producers the world over. The big questions is, how long will this go on for?

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