MACRO DIGEST

March 23, 2026 · 21yr percentile window
S&P PE
26.0x
-2.0%
VIX
26.02
+10.7%
DXY
99.14
-0.5%
UST 10Y
4.25%
-3bp
Net Liq
$5.80T
-5B
Crude
$88.79
-6.0%
Stress
2/3
+0
ERP
-0.40%
+11bp
▸ Gold -12% 1w on Iran calm; haven unwind has legs
▸ MOVE +14%: tariff fog lifts rate vol regime
▸ 5Y BE p93 on oil+tariffs; Fed cut path narrows
▸ UMich p2 but claims p1: fear leads, data lags
Liquidity & Basis Monitor
Pozsar framework · RRP, TGA, auctions
Smil: Energy Transitions
297pp analytical summary
Equities
Value1W1M%ileSignal
S&P PE 26.0x -2.0% -6.3%
p94
Expensive
ERP -0.40% +11bp +7bp
p17
Neutral
VIX 26.02 +10.7% +36.3%
p85
Stress-Up
SPY/RSP 3.42x -0.4% +1.4%
p98
Tightening
Rates
Value1W1M%ileSignal
UST 2Y 3.79% +6bp +32bp
p39
Trend-Up
UST 10Y 4.25% -3bp +17bp
p38
Trend-Down
UST 30Y 4.83% -7bp +13bp
p40
Trend-Down
2s10s 0.46% -9bp -15bp
p37
Flattening
10Y Real 1.88% -4bp +8bp
p76
Neutral
FX+Commodities
Value1W1M%ileSignal
DXY 99.14 -0.5% +1.4%
p66
Trend-Down
Gold $4,388.40 -12.4% -13.3%
p99
Trend-Down
Crude $88.79 -6.0% +33.7%
p81
Risk-On
Nat Gas $2.90 -4.6% -4.9%
p29
Trend-Down
Copper $5.48 -6.1% -6.0%
p99
Risk-On
USDJPY 158.43 -0.4% +2.1%
p100
JPY-Strong
Crypto
Value1W1M%ileSignal
BTC $70,597 -5.6% +3.3%
p89
Risk-On
ETH $2,152 -9.0% +9.1%
p64
Trend-Down
Credit & Spreads
Value1W1M%ileSignal
HY OAS 3.24% -4bp +36bp
p17
Stress-Down
IG OAS 0.88% -5bp +10bp
p11
Easing
C&I YoY +4.4%
p34
Neutral
Sentiment & Volatility
Value1W1M%ileSignal
UMich 56.4 +0.0 +0.0
p2
Pessimistic
SKEW 139 -1.7% -4.4%
p89
Expensive
MOVE 108.84 +14.2%
p78
Neutral
Stress 2/3 +0
p45
STRESS
Liquidity & Conditions
Value1W1M%ileSignal
5Y BE 2.63% +5bp +20bp
p93
Heating
Claims 205k -8k -1k
p1
Heating
NFCI -0.49 -5.4% -8.9%
p45
Trend-Up
ANFCI -0.47 +0.0 +0.1
p43
Neutral
Net Liq $5.80T -5B +102B
p80
Flush

Market Commentary

Notable Moves

Extreme Readings

Data shifts

Gold -12% 1w on Iran calm; haven unwind has legs

MOVE +14%: tariff fog lifts rate vol regime

5Y BE p93 on oil+tariffs; Fed cut path narrows

UMich p2 but claims p1: fear leads, data lags

Risk posture: PE p94 with VIX p85 and breakevens p93 — expensive equity meeting rising vol and sticky inflation. Net liq flush (p80) provides a floor but stagflation signal (flattening curve, hot BEs, frozen sentiment) argues defensive.

Regime Signals

Trend-Down (6)Neutral (5)Risk-On (3)Expensive (2)Trend-Up (2)
Variable Definitions
S&P PES&P 500 trailing P/E ratio (SPY). Valuation gauge — higher = more expensive.
ERPEquity Risk Premium. E/P minus 10Y real yield. Compensation for holding stocks over bonds.
VIXCBOE Volatility Index. Implied 30-day S&P 500 vol. Fear gauge.
SPY/RSPCap-weighted vs equal-weight S&P 500 ratio. Rising = mega-cap concentration.
UST 2Y2-Year Treasury yield. Proxy for Fed rate expectations.
UST 10Y10-Year Treasury yield. Benchmark for mortgages, corporate borrowing.
UST 30Y30-Year Treasury yield. Long-term growth and inflation expectations.
2s10s2Y-10Y Treasury spread. Negative = inverted curve, historically signals recession.
10Y Real10Y TIPS yield. Real cost of capital — key equity valuation input.
DXYUS Dollar Index. Trade-weighted basket vs 6 major currencies.
USDJPYDollar/Yen. Carry trade proxy — JPY strength signals risk-off.
GoldGold futures (GC). Inflation/chaos hedge.
CrudeWTI crude oil (CL). Growth proxy and inflation input.
Nat GasHenry Hub natural gas (NG). Energy costs, weather-sensitive.
CopperCopper futures (HG). Industrial demand proxy — "Dr. Copper".
BTCBitcoin (USD). Crypto risk proxy, liquidity-sensitive.
ETHEthereum (USD). Smart-contract ecosystem value.
HY OASHigh-yield bond option-adjusted spread over Treasuries. Credit stress barometer.
IG OASInvestment-grade bond spread. Broad corporate credit conditions.
C&I YoYCommercial & Industrial loans, year-over-year growth. Bank lending impulse.
UMichUniversity of Michigan Consumer Sentiment. Leads spending by 2-3 months.
SKEWCBOE SKEW Index. Tail risk pricing — higher = more demand for downside protection.
MOVEMerrill Lynch bond volatility index. Rate uncertainty gauge.
StressCross-asset stress count (0-3). HY OAS + VIX + DXY each >p75 of trailing 1yr.
Net LiqNet Liquidity = Fed Balance Sheet - TGA - Reverse Repo. Market plumbing.
NFCIChicago Fed National Financial Conditions Index. Positive = tighter than average.
ANFCIAdjusted NFCI. Isolates financial conditions from business cycle.
ClaimsInitial jobless claims (weekly). Labor market real-time pulse.
5Y BE5-Year breakeven inflation rate. Market-implied inflation expectations.