We're in the midst of tax season, and BAC data helps us track changes in refunds, payments, and the impact on spending. Refund growth is in the high single digits y/y, but lower tax payments bring total stimulus closer to the ~25% increase we had been expecting. Aditya Bhave explains how lower payments shift the timing of benefits, potentially extending the spending lift through much of the first half of 2026. There's also evidence that higher refunds and lower payments are boosting spend, with a modest inflection since early this year. Middle- and higher‑income consumers appear to benefit most. With much of the lift tied to higher SALT deductions, we examine whether SALT states such as NY, NJ, and CA are seeing stronger spending and how weather and past wildfires may be clouding the data. We finish with whether any further measures could support lower‑income consumers and what to expect from the incoming Fed Chair.

You may also enjoy listening to the Merrill Perspectives podcast, featuring conversations on the big stories, news and trends affecting your everyday financial life.

"Bank of America" and “BofA Securities” are the marketing names for the global banking businesses and global markets businesses (which includes BofA Global Research) of Bank of America Corporation. Lending, derivatives, and other commercial banking activities are performed globally by banking affiliates of Bank of America Corporation, including Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC. Securities, trading, research, strategic advisory, and other investment banking and markets activities are performed globally by affiliates of Bank of America Corporation, including, in the United States, BofA Securities, Inc. a registered broker-dealer and Member of FINRA and SIPC, and, in other jurisdictions, by locally registered entities. ©2026 Bank of America Corporation. All rights reserved.

Private credit has remained a persistent concern for banks, and recent events have brought those worries back into focus. At the same time, new fears around AI-driven competition and potential credit deterioration have weighed on the group. Ebrahim Poonawala joins us to discuss how management teams addressed these issues at the recent BofA Financials Conference, the potential defenses that banks have against AI disruption, and the ways AI could enhance efficiency. We also explore how much of this is now reflected in bank valuations, with many large regionals trading back to pre COVID P/E levels despite regulatory and cyclical tailwinds. While our US Economics team does not view a deteriorating macro backdrop as the base case, such a scenario would pose risks for valuation multiples and earnings.

You may also enjoy listening to the Merrill Perspectives podcast, featuring conversations on the big stories, news and trends affecting your everyday financial life.

"Bank of America" and “BofA Securities” are the marketing names for the global banking businesses and global markets businesses (which includes BofA Global Research) of Bank of America Corporation. Lending, derivatives, and other commercial banking activities are performed globally by banking affiliates of Bank of America Corporation, including Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC. Securities, trading, research, strategic advisory, and other investment banking and markets activities are performed globally by affiliates of Bank of America Corporation, including, in the United States, BofA Securities, Inc. a registered broker-dealer and Member of FINRA and SIPC, and, in other jurisdictions, by locally registered entities. ©2026 Bank of America Corporation. All rights reserved.

Please join Ralf Preusser in conversation with Alex Cohen, Stephen Juneau and Meghan Swiber to discuss the US labor market. The US rate market continues to look for an anchor against the backdrop of the twin uncertainty shocks of AI and now Iran. Given developments in the Middle East it may seem backward looking to focus on payrolls, and retail sales. We disagree. Data remains of utmost importance in providing some signal about the underlying path that the US economy is taking after the shutdown. In driving risk asset performance, Friday's data may also matter more than usual for the FX market.

Disclosure:

You may also enjoy listening to the Merrill Perspectives podcast, featuring conversations on the big stories, news and trends affecting your everyday financial life.

"Bank of America" and “BofA Securities” are the marketing names for the global banking businesses and global markets businesses (which includes BofA Global Research) of Bank of America Corporation. Lending, derivatives, and other commercial banking activities are performed globally by banking affiliates of Bank of America Corporation, including Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC. Securities, trading, research, strategic advisory, and other investment banking and markets activities are performed globally by affiliates of Bank of America Corporation, including, in the United States, BofA Securities, Inc. a registered broker-dealer and Member of FINRA and SIPC, and, in other jurisdictions, by locally registered entities. ©2026 Bank of America Corporation. All rights reserved.

Please join Ralf Preusser for a discussion on global curve dynamics with Meghan Swiber, Sphia Salim and Paul Ciana. We will explore the recent shift from steepening to flattening pressures and the possible reasons behind it across regions. We will also talk about the technicals and trade implications across US, UK and EUR rates.

You may also enjoy listening to the Merrill Perspectives podcast, featuring conversations on the big stories, news and trends affecting your everyday financial life.

"Bank of America" and “BofA Securities” are the marketing names for the global banking businesses and global markets businesses (which includes BofA Global Research) of Bank of America Corporation. Lending, derivatives, and other commercial banking activities are performed globally by banking affiliates of Bank of America Corporation, including Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC. Securities, trading, research, strategic advisory, and other investment banking and markets activities are performed globally by affiliates of Bank of America Corporation, including, in the United States, BofA Securities, Inc. a registered broker-dealer and Member of FINRA and SIPC, and, in other jurisdictions, by locally registered entities. ©2026 Bank of America Corporation. All rights reserved.

Please join Ralf Preusser in conversation with Yuri Seliger and Meghan Swiber to discuss supple and demand in US bond markets. Strong supply in credit has been well absorbed, helped by a significant reduction in risk delivery to the private sector by US Treasury. Inflows are robust, supported by attractive yields and until recently lower rate vol. We can also observe growing appetite to extend along the UST curve, in particular among domestic investors.

You may also enjoy listening to the Merrill Perspectives podcast, featuring conversations on the big stories, news and trends affecting your everyday financial life.

"Bank of America" and “BofA Securities” are the marketing names for the global banking businesses and global markets businesses (which includes BofA Global Research) of Bank of America Corporation. Lending, derivatives, and other commercial banking activities are performed globally by banking affiliates of Bank of America Corporation, including Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC. Securities, trading, research, strategic advisory, and other investment banking and markets activities are performed globally by affiliates of Bank of America Corporation, including, in the United States, BofA Securities, Inc. a registered broker-dealer and Member of FINRA and SIPC, and, in other jurisdictions, by locally registered entities. ©2026 Bank of America Corporation. All rights reserved.

Please join Ralf Preusser for a discussion on the German outlook with Evelyn Herrmann, Sphia Salim and Michalis Rousakis. We will explore the view on the German fiscal implementation, its impact on the growth profile in 2026-27 and the challenges ahead. We will also present our EUR rate and German yield forecasts as well as our takeaways for the EURUSD outlook.

Disclosure:

You may also enjoy listening to the Merrill Perspectives podcast, featuring conversations on the big stories, news and trends affecting your everyday financial life.

"Bank of America" and “BofA Securities” are the marketing names for the global banking businesses and global markets businesses (which includes BofA Global Research) of Bank of America Corporation. Lending, derivatives, and other commercial banking activities are performed globally by banking affiliates of Bank of America Corporation, including Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC. Securities, trading, research, strategic advisory, and other investment banking and markets activities are performed globally by affiliates of Bank of America Corporation, including, in the United States, BofA Securities, Inc. a registered broker-dealer and Member of FINRA and SIPC, and, in other jurisdictions, by locally registered entities. ©2026 Bank of America Corporation. All rights reserved.

Improving fundys, metals among reasons for EM optimism

David Hauner argues that Emerging Markets (EM) remain a compelling opportunity, supported by favorable macro, valuation, and structural tailwinds. A weaker USD, low real US rates, and improving fundamentals across many EM economies echo past multi‑year periods of strong EM performance. After more than a decade of underallocation, global investors are beginning to return, though positioning remains well below historical norms. Metals‑producing countries are also benefiting from energy‑transition and AI‑driven demand. David also highlights risks around EM sentiment, the USD, and the Fed-currently supportive but vulnerable to higher inflation and tighter financial conditions. Even so, the improvements cited suggest selloffs are likely to attract dip buyers.

You may also enjoy listening to the Merrill Perspectives podcast, featuring conversations on the big stories, news and trends affecting your everyday financial life.

"Bank of America" and “BofA Securities” are the marketing names for the global banking businesses and global markets businesses (which includes BofA Global Research) of Bank of America Corporation. Lending, derivatives, and other commercial banking activities are performed globally by banking affiliates of Bank of America Corporation, including Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC. Securities, trading, research, strategic advisory, and other investment banking and markets activities are performed globally by affiliates of Bank of America Corporation, including, in the United States, BofA Securities, Inc. a registered broker-dealer and Member of FINRA and SIPC, and, in other jurisdictions, by locally registered entities. ©2026 Bank of America Corporation. All rights reserved.

Cyclicals vs. Tech: Positioning for broadening growth

Mark Cabana and Savita Subramanian discuss whether there's evidence of a cyclical upswing in economic data, and the extent to which that's impacting companies and stocks. They also delve into whether such improvement is even as positive as it would seem given it could result in higher long rates and a Fed that's less able to cut. It's important to note that our economics team expects more cuts from the Fed this year so an environment of no cuts is not our base case but it's useful to discuss the possibility. Mark explains the important role that productivity plays and how it can alleviate much of this rate risk. A combination of better growth and productivity improvements could be quite positive for certain parts of the market too and Savita offers why she doesn't think improvement is fully priced into the sectors and stocks that would benefit. We also discuss another potential risk to rates-US dollar weakness and whether Mark sees any evidence of de-dollarization that could lead to a treasury selloff.

You may also enjoy listening to the Merrill Perspectives podcast, featuring conversations on the big stories, news and trends affecting your everyday financial life.

"Bank of America" and “BofA Securities” are the marketing names for the global banking businesses and global markets businesses (which includes BofA Global Research) of Bank of America Corporation. Lending, derivatives, and other commercial banking activities are performed globally by banking affiliates of Bank of America Corporation, including Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC. Securities, trading, research, strategic advisory, and other investment banking and markets activities are performed globally by affiliates of Bank of America Corporation, including, in the United States, BofA Securities, Inc. a registered broker-dealer and Member of FINRA and SIPC, and, in other jurisdictions, by locally registered entities. ©2026 Bank of America Corporation. All rights reserved.