Global Research Unlocked

Sphia Salim and our Global Economists discussed the upcoming central bank meetings across the Fed, BoC, ECB and BoJ, including how policymakers were navigating uncertainty on the energy front and emerging pressures on risk assets. The discussion also previewed the UK Budget and explored how the ECB was thinking about French spreads. The call took place on Friday, 22 October at 9:00 a.m. EST / 2:00 p.m. BST / 3:00 p.m. CEST.
 
"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.

In this episode of Must Read Research on Global Research Unlocked, Candace Browning examines the rising price tag behind some of today’s biggest market themes. America’s annual interest bill has doubled to more than $1.2 trillion, while our Bubble Risk Indicator suggests the rotation from Technology into defensive stocks has reached historically extreme levels. We also explore why high gas prices are making coal economically competitive again in Europe, and how a $2.1 trillion data-center buildout is changing everything from power systems and cooling to construction and M&A.
 
"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.

In this episode of Must Read Research on Global Research Unlocked, Candace Browning examines the trillion-dollar question facing AI: can returns ultimately justify the enormous investment going into it? We explore the potential $1.5 trillion annual AI subscription opportunity, increasingly crowded investor positioning in Technology and semiconductors, and how AI agents could reshape travel by influencing which flights and hotels consumers see. We also turn to Bitcoin, where a new valuation framework examines whether the asset has been left behind as investors have crowded into AI, and what ETF flows, adoption, and macro conditions could mean for the outlook.
 
"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 and team in conversation with Jill Hall and Chintan Kotecha to discuss equity/bond correlations and positioning. We will discuss the return of equity bond correlations, implications and risks for CTA positioning and for asset allocation models.
 
"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.

Defense restocking accelerates; new threats drive demand
Defense demand remains strong globally as depleted inventories, shifting threats and years of underinvestment drive a multiyear restocking cycle. Ron Epstein discusses record US defense outlays, rising production needs and why recent weakness in defense stocks may be disconnected from the fundamentals. KJ Hwang highlights Korea's expansion beyond the land systems that drove early exports. Korean companies are expending into air defense, low-cost interceptors and counter-drone technologies, with the Gulf emerging as a potential source of new orders. Together they also discuss how militaries are balancing inexpensive drones with sophisticated missile threats, and why lessons from today's conflicts may not necessarily translate to how the next wars may be fought. 
 
"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.
 
 

In this episode of Must Read Research on Global Research Unlocked, Candace Browning examines how perception is shaping market outcomes across asset classes. We explore why oil remains near $100 despite recovering crude exports, what card data and retailer feedback reveal about the strength of the U.S. consumer, why bond strategists believe markets may be underestimating the likelihood of additional Federal Reserve tightening, and how Brazil's presidential election is driving some of the largest investment flows into Latin America in years.
 
"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 Sphia Salim in discussion with Ralf Preusser and Meghan Swiber alongside our colleagues from credit (Neha Khoda, Head of US credit strategy and Barnaby Martin, Head of European credit strategy). We will explore the nature of the recent extension in the global govt bond sell-off, where positioning is, what the Fed & US treasury could do slow the moves and finally whether this is starting to weigh on pockets of the US and European credit markets.
 
"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.

Quantum computing is moving from scientific promise to commercial reality, opening new possibilities across sensing, secure communications, finance, healthcare, aerospace, defense, and space. The industry has already surpassed $1 billion in annual sales and could reach $80 billion by 2035, while shortening timelines to “Q-Day” are adding urgency to the race. In this special episode of Must Read Research on Global Research Unlocked, we sit down with Haim Israel, Head of Thematic Investing, and Vivek Arya, Senior U.S. Semiconductor Analyst, to uncover what is accelerating quantum’s development, how the technology could reshape today’s encryption, and why the next breakthrough may come from its connection with AI. AI is helping advance quantum systems today; quantum could dramatically expand what AI can solve tomorrow. That two-way relationship could make them technology’s ultimate power couple.
 
"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 our BofA Economists and rates & FX strategists to discuss takeaways after the September employment report. They will discuss implications for US economy, Fed path, rate levels / curve shape, & USD implications. 
 
"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.

Rural broadband threat, urban voice and data advantage
Telecom stocks came under significant pressure around the SpaceX IPO as investors worried that low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites could disrupt traditional wireless and broadband markets. But while satellite data works well in many geographies, including rural areas, offshore and on mountaintops, Michael Funk discusses the capacity, coverage, and economic limitations in many urban and suburban markets. He also discusses the areas where he believes LEO may have the easiest time making inroads and those areas where the technology will very likely need a land-based partner to offer reliability that customers demand. Looking further ahead, Michael discusses opportunity for LEO in AI-related applications such as machine-to-machine communications, autonomous systems, and humanoid robots.
 
"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.

Midterms may dominate headlines, but corporate earnings, inflation and interest rates remain the key drivers of US equities. In this episode of Signals & Noise, Savita Subramanian discusses the outlook for stocks and bonds, the implications of higher Treasury yields, and the role of AI-driven productivity in supporting earnings and market performance.
 
"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.
 

AV adoption is scaling; physical AI broadens the story
Autonomous vehicles appear to be reaching an inflection point, with the focus shifting from proving the technology to scaling fleets, geographies and business models. Fresh off their Bay Area trip to see 15 corporates in the space, Martyn Briggs and Alex Perry discuss rapid growth in robotaxi deployments, falling autonomous ride costs, and the role of AI-native architectures in enabling expansion. And while many listeners have firsthand experience with autonomous ride sharing, Martyn and Alex also discuss their views and recent learnings on AV trucking, which could transform a freight sector dealing with chronic driver shortages. We also discuss why AV progress is important for the physical AI future.
 
"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.