Can equity bulls resist rising yields?

September kicks off on a bearish note as rising oil prices revive inflation concerns, push global bond yields higher and weigh on equity valuations. But markets enter the month with an important cushion: exceptionally strong Q2 earnings on both sides of the Atlantic. The key question is whether strong earnings can continue to offset rising borrowing costs. European equities still offer a relatively comfortable earnings-yield premium over sovereign bonds, but the picture is tighter in the US, where the S&P 500 earnings yield is now below the US 30-year Treasury yield. Meanwhile, investors are watching inflation data, increasingly uncomfortable central banks, the Fed’s next policy move and the US Treasury’s bigger bond buybacks. September could therefore become an important test for global equity valuations – and a good reason to think about regional and cross-asset diversification.

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Ipek Ozkardeskaya has begun her financial career in 2010 in the structured products desk of the Swiss Banque Cantonale Vaudoise. She worked at HSBC Private Bank in Geneva in relation to high and ultra-high net worth clients. In 2012, she started as FX Strategist at Swissquote Bank. She worked as a Senior Market Analyst in London Capital Group in London and in Shanghai. She returned to Swissquote Bank as Senior Analyst in 2020, and launched her own website ipekScope.com in 2025.