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Central bank doctrine recommends not reacting directly to a supply shock on the proviso that it is temporary and that inflation is not already persistently above its target. Currently, neither of these two conditions has been fulfilled. Underlying inflation, as measured by the PCE index, came in at 3.0% in August, and the US–Iran conflict has been dragging on for over six months.

A month ago, we wrote that the outlook for equity markets remained reassuring, supported by resilient earnings, and that only a tightening of financial conditions would signal a genuine change in regime.

Treasury and Bund yields touched multi-year highs before easing back, as weak US payrolls sharply reduced the odds of an October US Federal Reserve rate hike.

Since 2022 and the end of the ultra-low interest rate environment in Europe, the real estate sector has undergone a significant repricing. Yields have risen sharply, while transaction volumes and asset values have declined.

Long-term yields surged to multi-decade highs as robust US data and firm energy prices reinforced expectations of another US Federal Reserve (Fed) rate hike.

In 2026, the five hyperscalers (Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet, Meta and Oracle) will spend around USD 820 billion in capex, compared with USD 750 billion in operating cash flows. This means that their investments are exceeding available cash flows and that this funding gap has to be financed through debt.

The Fed raised its interest rates by 25 basis points (bps) to 3.75–4.00% on a unanimous vote, framing the move as insurance against energy prices bleeding into core inflation, while the Bank of England held its rates at 3.75% despite a more hawkish tilt in its minutes.

The AI boom has pushed the world’s five hyperscalers (Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet, Meta and Oracle) into a new era of financing. In 2026, their capital spending is expected to exceed operating cash flow, with investment projected to reach USD 5.6 trillion by 2030, raising fundamental questions about how this unprecedented expansion will be funded.

Oil’s surge past USD 100 a barrel amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East drove a broad sell-off in government bonds and equities last week, as inflation fears pushed yields sharply higher across the US, eurozone and UK.