The dominant macro signal as Europe opens on 1 October is the steepening of the US yield curve: the 2-year Treasury fell 3 bp to 4.89% while the 10-year rose 2 bp to 5.26%, reflecting markets digesting August PCE data (headline 3.4% y/y, core 3.0% — both below consensus of 3.7% and 3.3%) against a backdrop of a Fed that hiked 25 bp to 3.75–4.00% on 16 September and a dot plot signalling further tightening. CME FedWatch now prices an October hike probability at only 35–38%, yet the long end remains under pressure, keeping financial conditions tight. Brent crude at $103.53/bbl (+0.92%) and WTI at $90.42/bbl (+1.16%) sustain the energy-inflation feedback loop, while VIX at 16.34 (+1.87%) signals incrementally rising hedging demand.
For European investors, the cross-asset picture is unambiguous in its pressure points. The German 10-year Bund yield surged 11 bp to 3.18% — a move that dwarfs US duration moves and points to markets repricing ECB terminal rate higher following the September 25 bp hike (deposit facility now 2.50%) and upward inflation revisions for 2027–2028. EUR/USD slipped 0.28% to 1.1341 and GBP/USD eased 0.16% to 1.3233, with the DXY marginally firmer at 101.45, reflecting residual USD demand even as Fed hike odds moderate — a squeeze on European export competitiveness and a headwind for multinationals reporting in local currencies. Rate-sensitive sectors — Real Estate (Vonovia), Construction, and Utilities — face the sharpest valuation pressure from the Bund move, while energy-intensive Chemicals and Basic Resources contend with both elevated input costs and softening demand signals.