Global Research Unlocked

The longest ever US government shutdown has ended after 43 days. The reopening sees the resumption of US data releases, with the September labor market report released on Thursday. We review what we have learnt from the report, as well as the claims data that is also now being published. We discuss what this means for the US rates market and the US dollar.

 

You may a...

Healthcare's need for efficiencies clear, finally happening

AI has held promise within the healthcare industry for a few years, but Alec Stranahan suggests that the rate and breadth of AI adoption across the industry is growing at a faster pace than ever before. As users of the U.S. healthcare system can attest, there are many inefficiencies and we discuss the areas where AI may be most useful in improving healthcare productivity. ...

Investments from the US gov't make this time different

The recent US-China agreement may secure short-term access for rare earth elements, but it doesn't alter the strategic need for domestic supply chains. Lawson and Michael highlight the complexity, cost, and time required to build out mining, midstream, and magnet-making capacity, highlighting that China's success today is a result of a commitment made back in the 1980s. US init...

The budget is the main event risk for the UK market. We discuss what we expect Chancellor Reeves to deliver, what this means for the Bank of England, Gilt issuance, rate markets and the currency.

 

You may also enjoy listening to the Merrill ...

Tariffs imposed under the International Emergency and Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) account for about 9.5pp of our estimated 14.7pp effective tariff rate after the reduction in fentanyl tariffs on China. Therefore, the Supreme Court's decision could have important implications for activity, inflation, deficits, debt, interest rates, and the dollar. We discuss risks and scenarios after the oral hearings.

As expected US Treasury mainta...

We discuss the FOMC rate and QT decisions. US front-end rates now look much more fairly priced. QT decision disappointed us and we remain concerned about US funding markets. ECB meeting was a non-event, but Euro Area data surprises on both activity and inflation mean that the hawks will likely retain the narrative into the December meeting. We outline what this means for our ECB call and why we still see value in EUR rate markets.

...

Years of equity gains has wealth effect bolstering spend

Aggregate consumer data remains solid despite signs of a slowdown in labor markets.  Declining labor supply accounts for some of the labor weakness but other metrics, including the ratio of job vacancies to unemployment, suggest softness in demand as well. We examine why consumption has held up despite these signs of weakness and part of it comes down to the wealth effect, wh...

Electrification requires copper but supply picture is dim

The outlook for oil prices is bearish in the near term owing to excess supply, but beyond that, prices should firm as supply growth slows. Between geopolitics, economic growth and the dollar, there are plausible scenarios for both higher and lower oil, which Francisco discusses in some detail. And while Francisco and the commodity strategy team came into 2025 bullish on gold...

Takeaways from our inaugural APAC Conference

BofA Global Research hosted its inaugural APAC Conference earlier this month. Timing was opportune. The Chinese CSI 300 Equity Index has outperformed the S&P year-to-date, following years in which the opposite was true and that's helped to pique investor interest. Over 1,200 investors and 300 corporates attended. Winnie Wu joins us to discuss her takeaways from the conference and her...

Stablecoin progress to come with time and reg. clarity

Ebrahim Poonawala has been busy exploring the topic of stablecoins and the impact on banks. He's hosted expert events, started a series of notes on the topic and has communicated with bank CEOs on developments and potential bank offerings. Ebrahim joins the podcast to talk about regulatory progress but the hurdles that remain before consumers and businesses can start using stab...

Still managing to add value for patients and payor

While US markets make new highs, the S&P managed care index is half the level it was a year ago. We talk to Kevin Fischbeck about what's driven the substantial weakness and whether deterioration in medical loss ratios (MLR) is temporary or something that will last and prevent these companies from recapturing past margins. Kevin also discusses the different markets served by man...

10Y yields should fall if Fed more dovish than expected

Leading up to Powell's speech at Jackson Hole, the market has priced in a high likelihood of a 25bp cut at the September FOMC meeting. The prospect of rate cuts has helped to lift homebuilding stocks and the group is up 16% since the end of June. But the 10Y Treasury yield is more relevant for homebuyers taking out fixed-rate or even adjustable-rate mortgages. So a key questio...

Coffee away from home enjoying demographic tailwind

Restaurants have faced some of the same sales challenges experienced elsewhere in the economy as chains more reliant on lower income consumers have felt more pressure than those with a higher income skew. Sara Senatore discusses the opportunity that inflation and a more selective consumer have created for fast casual and even casual dining. But dining preference shifts mean that f...

Rev beats bode well but may not lead to big index gains

The percentage of companies beating on earnings and revenues this season is higher than average and the percentage beating on sales is the highest in four years. Tariffs may be playing a role in the sales beats but either way, the better than expected revenues suggest companies are able to raise prices, a positive sign for corporate resilience. Coupled with softer labor market...