NAB Morning Call

Friday 30th October 2026

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Phil speaks with Paul Mortimer-Lee, Research Fellow at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) and former Bank of England forecasting head, to examine the deepening fiscal strain across Europe and determine whether France or the UK is in a more dangerous position. Paul argues that France is caught in a structural spending trap—with government outlays at an eye-watering 57% of GDP and political fragmentation making deficit reduction nearly impossible—leaving markets to rely on the moral hazard of an eventual European Central Bank intervention, even if its untested Transmission Protection Instrument (TPI) faces legal and political hurdles. By contrast, while the UK’s Autumn Budget deferred meaningful consolidation via a "flotilla of small measures" amid rising debt-servicing costs and overambitious welfare dependency, London’s independent currency and floating exchange rate mean market discipline bites faster, whereas France lacks an exchange rate valve to offset its competitiveness gap against the rest of Europe. With Germany’s constitutional debt brake hampering broader continental growth and bond markets demanding higher risk premiums, Paul reckons that French 10-year yields could surge another 100 basis points and provoke banking contagion before European policymakers reluctantly to step in. But beyond that, does this point to an instability that the Euro - or the ECB – can’t survive?
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Thursday 29th October 2026

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Phil and NAB’s Gavin Friend explore a risk-off session across equity markets triggered by a fresh wave of artificial intelligence anxiety following Alphabet’s quarterly earnings. Alphabet tumbled nearly 13%—marking one of the largest single-day market-cap wipeouts on record—as investors grew alarmed by ballooning AI capital expenditure running alongside signs that conversational AI search tools are beginning to cannibalise its core advertising revenue. The resulting tech sell-off pulled the Nasdaq down 1.5% and overshadowed otherwise robust US macroeconomic data, which saw Q3 GDP beat expectations at an annualised 3.4% and personal consumption rise 3.8% despite core PCE edging up to 3.1%. In Europe, the ECB held its policy rates steady as expected, but Christine Lagarde was sounding hawkish in the press conference, as well as announcing he will step down early as ECB President in February 2027 to freely voice her views on broader European issues, including the French debt crisis. Meanwhile, bond yields edged lower in safe-haven trades, oil prices retreated below US$115 per barrel for Brent, and the Australian dollar slipped back towards 70.3 US cents as markets await the Bank of Japan's rate decision.
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Thursday 29th October 2026

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Phil Dobbie and NAB’s Ray Attrill unpack a frantic 24 hours of central bank decisions, domestic inflation data, and shifting rate calls. Global bond yields plunged—led by a sharp 8-basis-point drop in US two-year Treasury yields—after Fed Chair Kevin Warsh struck a surprisingly dovish tone during his post-FOMC press conference, suggesting inflation medicine is taking effect and casting doubt on a December hike, whilst holding rates steady today. In Wellington, the RBNZ delivered a major shock by voting 4–3 to hold rates on hold rather than deliver a widely priced hike, sending the Kiwi dollar sliding 1%, while the Bank of Canada moved in the opposite direction with a 25-basis-point increase. Domestically, with Australian Q3 trimmed mean CPI printing at a sticky 1.0% quarter-on-quarter (4.3% year-on-year) alongside hawkish parliamentary testimony from Governor Michele Bullock, NAB has officially updated its forecast to call for an RBA rate hike on Melbourne Cup Day next week. Meanwhile, Brent crude edged back above US$115 a barrel amid ongoing Middle East tensions, French bond spreads continued to widen, and equity markets braced for high-stakes post-market earnings from Alphabet and Microsoft.
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Wednesday 28th October 2026

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Phil and NAB's Skye Masters break down a risk-on session across global equity markets set against a tense, pivotal day for monetary policy. Wall Street rallied—led by a 2.2% surge in the Nasdaq and broad tech strength—fuelled by news of mega-cap chip-financing deals and solid US consumer confidence readings. The primary focus, however, turns squarely to domestic macro data, with Australian Q3 CPI arriving today. With markets pricing in roughly a 60% probability of an RBA rate hike on Melbourne Cup Day, Skye explains why NAB sees downside risks to the consensus 1.0% trimmed mean expectation. Across global central banks, attention turns to meetings for the RBNZ, Bank of Canada, and the FOMC, alongside the delivery of the UK budget.
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Tuesday 27th October 2026

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Phil and NAB's Rodrigo Catril unpack a choppy overnight session marked by major political shifts, geopolitical tension, and resilient tech sentiment. Brazilian markets faced sharp domestic repricing after Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva secured a runoff victory, while geopolitical attention turns to the neck-and-neck Israeli elections. On Wall Street, equities pushed higher—led by a broad-based rally across technology and semiconductors following news of Anthropic's planned public listing—even as investors keep a cautious eye on upcoming earnings from Alphabet, Microsoft, and Amazon alongside the FOMC meeting. In bond markets, French 10-year yields tightened 12 basis points against German Bunds following Moody's decision to hold France's sovereign rating steady, while Brent crude remains elevated above USD$115/bbl amid ongoing Middle East security risks. Closer to home, the Australian dollar held firm above 70 US cents as markets await crucial domestic Q3 CPI figures to gauge whether or not the RBA's rate-hiking cycle is over, or at least delayed.
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