NAB Morning Call

Friday 29th August 2025Please note this communication is not a research report and has not been prepared by NAB Research analysts. Read the full disclaimer here.Ten years ago Robin Khuda had a vision that data centres needed to be much bigger. Hyper-scaling, as they call it. Back then there was about 400 megawatts of capacity in Australian data centres, and three or four gigawatts across Asia-Pacific & Japan. Today, AirTrunk has two gigawatts portfolio of hyperscale data centres, with big expansion plans across the region. They are attracting big money to fund this expansion, which is responding to the needs of the major tech players and their AI trajectory. Phil talks to Carly Wishart, AirTrunk’s managing director, corporate and international, and Prashant Murthy, managing director capital and strategy. He asks how they move swiftly, secure the necessary funding, stand out from the competition and not run the risk of overbuilding. And what innovative approaches are emerging to power AI responsibly a

Friday 29th August July 2025NAB Markets Research Disclaimer Financial Services Guide | Information on our services - NABThe Fed is expected to cut even though the latest GDP numbers show an economy growing – and maybe the PCE numbers today will show inflation is rising. So, is a cut the right thing to do? It’s a question Phil puts to NAB’s Ken Crompton who says, even though September seems bolted on, markets are stepping back on the speed of cuts beyond that. Although that could be determined by how many supporters President Trump parachutes onto the Fed board. A busy day for data lies ahead, including a major dump from Japan and inflation numbers from Europe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thursday 28th August July 2025NAB Markets Research Disclaimer Financial Services Guide | Information on our services - NABToday’s big news is the 50% tariff slapped on India. Sally Auld says it presents a challenge for India. The tariff is high enough for US importers to look elsewhere for substitute goods. It’ll be welcome news in Europe, though, because the tariff is to stop India buying Russian oil. Europe is, itself, considering secondary tariffs. It’s also fast-tracking an end to many tariffs on US imports, in the hope of bringing down Trump’s tariff on European cars. That’s all interesting stuff but markets are most interested in NVIDIA earnings, which disappointed only in that they didn’t exceed expectations. Still, that seem enough to drag shares down across the chip sector. Phil also asks Sally why Australian inflation came in so much higher than expected yesterday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wednesday 27th August July 2025NAB Markets Research Disclaimer Financial Services Guide | Information on our services - NABPresident Trump posted an open letter to the Fed’s Lisa Cook saying she was removed from her position, effectively immediately. Legal proceedings will almost certainly follow, particularly ss she has not yet been charged with any crime, but, as NAB’s Taylor Nugent discusses on today’s podcast, markets have taken it in their stride, apart from a mild steepening in the yield curve.Aside from that it’s been a quiet session. US consumer confidence data showed continued rising concerns over jobs, but not enough to impact markets, with equities back on the rise today. It’s another quiet session ahead, with Australian CPI the main local interest. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tuesday 26th August July 2025NAB Markets Research Disclaimer Financial Services Guide | Information on our services - NABThe initial excitement over a seemingly dovish Jerome Powell on Friday has subsided at the start of the week. Bond yields are rising, and equities are falling. NAB’s Rodrigo Catril says Powel was really quite hawkish in his tone, with a weak jobs report or higher inflation (or both) likely to dampen expectations around the number of cuts this year. Meanwhile, Elon Musk is suing Apple and OpenAI, the Trump administration is threatening sanctions on Europe over their digital services taxes, and there’s a vote of no confidence in the French government. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Monday 25th August July 2025NAB Markets Research Disclaimer Financial Services Guide | Information on our services - NABFed chair Jerome Powell surprise markets on Friday when his speech at Jackson Hole had a decided dovish tilt to it. Bond markets reacted but, as NAB’s ray Attrill explains, it didn’t move pricing too much for a September cut. The question is whether more will follow, particularly if the US President manages to oust Lisa Cook and get one of his sympathisers in there. If that forces a faster pace of cuts Ray believes markets will become concerned about inflation becoming unanchored. For now, though, equity markets are happy, particularly the Russell2000 which soared 3.9 percent on Friday.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Friday 22nd August 2025Please note this communication is not a research report and has not been prepared by NAB Research analysts. Read the full disclaimer here.UIS trade policy has been turbulent, to put it mildly, since Liberation Day in April. Tariffs have moved up and down, some geographic, others sectoral. The reasons have fluctuated, from  stopping fentanyl, to trade imbalance, to political concerns. The benefits have been argued as protecting jobs, brining industries back home to raising revenue.Dmitry Grozoubinski runs Explain Trade from Geneva, training government officials on complex trade negotiations. He has been involved in  many, having represented Australia at the WTO from 2014 to 2018. His latest book is ‘Why Politicians Lie About Trade’. He joins Phil to talk about this new trade environment, where deals take weeks not years. How should countries be negotiating in this new regime? How long will the current state of flux last? And is a high tariff trade environment the

Friday 22nd August July 2025NAB Markets Research Disclaimer Financial Services Guide | Information on our services - NABUS equities closed in the red again today, with losses more broad-based than earlier in the week. In part it’s a response to Walmart’s results, which showed increased revenue but a cut in earnings, suggesting they were losing margin, perhaps because of tariff impacts. NAB’s Taylor Nugent returns to the Morning Call to give his take on overnight market moves and the latest PMI numbers for Europe and the US. He says pricing for a September cut has reduced slightly ahead of Jerome Powell’s speech at Jackson Hole. Remember there’s always pressure on the Fed chair to say something new and meaningful at this event. Last year it was the dovish pivot. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thursday 21st August July 2025NAB Markets Research Disclaimer Financial Services Guide | Information on our services - NABTech stocks lost ground again overnight, for no immediately apparent reason, unless it’s still down to comments earlier in the week from OpenAI’s Sam Altman that some people are going to get their fingers burned. NAB’s Rodrigo Catril is back with Phil to talk through that, and all the other market moves and overnight news, including the Fed’s hawkish minutes and the RBNZ’s dovish cut. And President Trump’s out to get Lisa Cook fired from the Fed board over allegations of mortgage fraud, so can get another of his people in there. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wednesday 20th August July 2025NAB Markets Research Disclaimer Financial Services Guide | Information on our services - NABNAB’s Ray Attrill says the RBNZ is expected to cut rates today, even as an upswing inflation is expected in their revised forecasts. One central bank that might not cut at all for the remainder of the year is the Bank of England, with fresh CPI data out later expected to support that case. US equities took a hit, driven by tech stocks. NVIIDA lost ground, in part because their hopes of shipping a new chip to China has been stalled by Scott Bessent’s comments that any new products will need to apply for a licence. President Trump’s decree that goods can be shipped to China as long as the government gets a 15%cut, that deal obviously has conditions attached. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tuesday 19th August July 2025NAB Markets Research Disclaimer Financial Services Guide | Information on our services - NABHaving met with Zelensky and Putin separately, President Trump is now aiming for a three-way meeting to try and reach peace in Eastern Europe. The odds are still quite low, though, because it is unlikely Ukraine and Europe will want to surrender territory as part of the process. NAB’s Tapas Strickland says market moves have been somewhat constrained, as we wait for the start of Jackson Hole. There are question marks around whether central banks are cutting too early, with worrying signs of inflation persisting. That’s particularly the case for the UK where yields have been rising noticeably, even beyond the Truss budget experiment in some cases. At home the government’s economic roundtable kicks off at Government House in Caberra, with Michelle Bullock talking first thing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Monday18th August July 2025NAB Markets Research Disclaimer Financial Services Guide | Information on our services - NABUS retail sales remain resilient, but the same can’t be said for China. But the worry from Friday in the US is that inflation expectations are ticking higher. Meanwhile Japan’s GDP was firmer than anticipated, supporting the case for a BoJ hike, but when? NAB’s Rodrigo Catril is back with Phil to talk through the end of the week data, the repercussion s of the Trump Putin meeting and to look at the week ahead, including the Jackson Hole Symposium. Incidentally, it was a week out from Jacksom Hole that we launched the Morning Call in 2016 so this is, more or less, our ninth birthday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Friday 15th August 2025Please note this communication is not a research report and has not been prepared by NAB Research analysts. Read the full disclaimer here.The Japanese economy woke from years of stagnation to an inflationary environment that gave businesses the opportunity to raise prices and for workers to demand more money. It provided a growth opportunity that had been missing from the economy, now reflected in the growth in the value of equities and a rising number of M&As.You’d be forgiven for thinking that enthusiasm would disappear as the country faced unprecedented tariffs from their biggest export partner. Yet the toned-down tariff deal this month, which has still not been written into a formal agreement, has seen the Nikkei reach new highs and M&As are still being signed.This week Harry Ishihara, an independent macro strategist based in Tokyo, returns to the Weekend Edition to give his views on the Japanese economy now, how companies are working their way round tariffs, the practi

Friday 15th August July 2025NAB Markets Research Disclaimer Financial Services Guide | Information on our services - NABNAB’s Rodrigo Catril joins Phil on this morning’s podcast. Phil suggests there are three signs that tariffs are having an impact. First, producer prices were up more sharply than expected in the US. Second, the UK trade deficit fell sharply. And European industrial production fell too. They also look ahead to Japan’s GDP, retail sales for the US and China, pricing data from New Zealand, the US government’s plan for a stake in Intel and the atmosphere ahead of the Trump Putin meeting this time tomorrow.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thursday 14th August July 2025NAB Markets Research Disclaimer Financial Services Guide | Information on our services - NABEquities are rising, and not just in the US. In fact, the MSCI World Equities Index hit a record high overnight. But  bonds are the story today, says NAB’ s Gavin Friend, with 10year Treasury yields down 5 basis points. Markets have got a cut from the Fed fully priced in for September, but Scott Bessent said in an interview he’d like to see a 50bp cut at the next meeting. His boss, meanwhile, spoke out for 300bp of cuts or more.Phil and Gavin also talk about yesterday’s Australian wages data and look ahead to today’s employment data. Plus, UK’s GDP, expected to be very slow with the potential to tip into negative territory for Q2. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wednesday 13th August July 2025NAB Markets Research Disclaimer Financial Services Guide | Information on our services - NABMarkets have looked at the latest inflation data from the US, assumed companies are largely swallowing the cost of import tariffs, which removes the excuse for the Fed to hold off cutting rates in September. NAB’s Ken Crompton says markets are close to fully pricing a cut. The US dollar is weaker from the news but continued to fall as resident Trump once again criticised Jerome Powell for being too late to cut and threatened action to have him removed.Phil and Ken also talk about yesterday’s RBA decision, and the NAB business survey which showed a slight increase in business confidence, but a fall in conditions. Wage pressures continue to blight Blighty in yesterday’s labour market data, with Australia’s (significantly lower) wage growth data out today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tuesday 12th August July 2025NAB Markets Research Disclaimer Financial Services Guide | Information on our services - NABThere’s been very little market movement despite some surprising news. First, President Trump announced a 15% tariff on exports from NVIDIA and AMD for AI chips headed to China. NAB’s Sally Auld says it’s a surprising move that a restriction supposedly on national security grounds has been foregone in exchange for a government revenue stream. Secondly, the 90-day truce on China’s tariffs, due to finish today, has been given another 90 days. And concerns continue about what will happen at the Trump Putin meeting in Alaska on Friday, President Zelensky says the Russian President is buying time and he is now amassing more troops on the border ready for a fresh onslaught. Today the focus will be on US inflation numbers and forecasts from the RBA after their expected rate cut today.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Monday 11th August July 2025NAB Markets Research Disclaimer Financial Services Guide | Information on our services - NABThis will be a very significant week and NAB’s Ray Attrill joins Phil to talk through it. For a start, we’ll be getting US inflation data tomorrow, to help answer the question around the impact of tariffs. One man who doesn’t believe it’s an issue is Stephen Miran, President Trump’s new man for the FOMC, but will he be in place to exert his influence at the next meeting? There’s also that meeting between Putin and Trump in Alaska at the end of the week, but it seems highly unlikely it’ll lead to a lasting resolution, but it could see oil prices swayed by the geopolitical consequences. Locally there’s the RBA tomorrow and a slew of data. Get ready for an action packed week. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Friday 8th August 2025Please note this communication is not a research report and has not been prepared by NAB Research analysts. Read the full disclaimer here.Cath Carver is NAB’s Head of Corporate and Institutional Banking. She’s been in the role for a year but is close to clocking up ten years with the bank, with a long track record in finance and banking before that. Towards the end of this podcast Phil asks her if there’s anything she would have done differently if, years back she knew what she knows now. Her reply is, she’d have been bolder. ‘Not that we’ve been holding back,’ she says, ‘but we’ve got to be bold for our clients.’ Part of that comes from working with diverse teams and allowing people to be themselves at work. They also talk about the state of the global economy, Australia’s opportunity within it, and how to address Australia’s housing affordability issue. Something else that Cath says is looking for a bold solution. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Friday8th August July 2025NAB Markets Research Disclaimer Financial Services Guide | Information on our services - NABAs of yesterday, US imports were hit with an average 15% tariff. Time will tell who is feeling the hurt the most, but on today’s podcast we hear about the impact on the auto industry, and German industrial production. China meanwhile saw exports rise again. On today’s podcast, as well as talking tariffs, NAB’s Tapas Strickland joins Phil to discuss the very close call on cuts from the Bank of England, revisions to NAB’s FX forecast for the Aussie dollar, and what to expect from, China’s CPI out this weekend. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.