Morning Bid: Inflation relief gives bonds little reprieve

October 1, 2026 12:33 AM EDT

People shop at Eastern Market, a public market in the Capitol Hill neighborhood in Washington, D.C., U.S., November 2, 2025. REUTERS/Al Drago

A look at the ‌day ahead in ​European ​and global markets from Rae Wee

Asian markets ushered in the final quarter of the year on a muted note on ‌Thursday, though bond markets remained firmly in focus for investors ⁠as yields hovered at multi-year highs.

A slower-than-expected rise in US inflation in August, alongside ‌a downward revision to July's ‌reading, reduced some bets on a Federal Reserve rate hike this month.

But that did little to help US Treasury yields, which scaled ​fresh peaks overnight and held near those levels in Asia trade. [US/]

Stalling peace talks between the US and Iran to end the seven-month-long ⁠war in the Middle East have done little to help the global inflation picture, with the euro ​zone feeling the pain as prices climbed far quicker than expected in some of the bloc's biggest economies last ​month.

In stock markets, blockbuster earnings from ‌AI chipmaker Micron Technology failed to lift the frayed mood in Asia, though trading was thinned with markets in ⁠Hong Kong and China closed for a holiday.

Micron forecast quarterly revenue above estimates and said customers had increased commitments under its long-term supply agreements to $32 billion, ⁠signalling unabated demand for AI memory chips.

Elsewhere, a quarterly Bank of Japan (BOJ) Tankan survey ​showed Japanese business confidence hit an eight-year high over July-September amid elevated inflation expectations, bolstering the case for interest rate hikes.

Meanwhile, a summary of opinions from the ‌BOJ's September meeting, at which policymakers raised borrowing costs to a 31-year high, showed some of them saw ‌the need to accelerate the pace of tightening or move rates closer to ⁠the central bank's desired level ‌sooner.

Key developments that could ​influence markets on Thursday:

- UK nationwide house price (September)

- France and Germany S&P manufacturing PMI (September)

- Euro zone unemployment rate (August)

(Editing by ‌Jacqueline Wong)



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