Fear & Greed Q+A The Week Ahead with NAB: Sally Auld shares key economic themes to watch in a new weekly podcast segment

28th September 2026

Economy & Markets 

NAB Chief Economist Sally Auld this morning joined the first episode of The Week Ahead with NAB, a new weekly segment on the Fear & Greed Q&A podcast that explores the economic events, data releases and market developments shaping the week ahead.

Each Monday, NAB economists will share insights on the issues likely to influence households, businesses and markets, helping listeners understand what to watch and why it matters.

In this morning's episode, Sally said it was "pretty universally accepted" that the Reserve Bank would lift interest rates by 25 basis points at tomorrow's board meeting, reflecting growing concern about inflation.

She noted that businesses are continuing to face significant cost pressures, saying: "What we're observing, particularly in our NAB business survey, but also in conversations with many of our business customers, is that businesses across the board are facing a real intensification of cost challenges." 

Sally said many businesses have limited options in responding to those pressures, adding: "I think firms feel that they just don't have any other option because our surveys are telling us that margins are pretty thin at the moment as well, except to pass on those costs."

Looking ahead to Wednesday's monthly inflation data, Sally said NAB expects another strong inflation reading, noting that "we know enough that we're going to get some pretty ugly looking inflation numbers for the month of August."

Listeners can expect to hear more from NAB economists each week as they unpack the economic developments, data releases and market themes likely to be in focus in the days ahead.

Listen to today’s episode here.