Historical snapshot

This is the regime read as it stood on May 11, 2026, from that day’s model output. See today’s regime →

— US Macro RegimeAs of May 11, 2026
Leading regime

Overheating

29.0%probabilityConfidence: Moderate

Too hot. Growth and prices both running warm, which keeps the Fed in the room.

Closest alternative: Inflation Shock at 28.5% · Overheating 0.0 pts on the day

All five regimes

  • Cooling21.4%
  • Soft Landing19.8%
  • OverheatingLeading29.0%
  • Inflation ShockRunner-up28.5%
  • Contraction1.3%
Freshness

This snapshot is more than a day old. The next engine run refreshes it. As of May 11, 2026.

The US macro picture points to Overheating (29% probability, moderate confidence), with Inflation Shock as the main alternative at 28%. Growth is slowing, inflation is firming, and geopolitical shock is elevated. The main tension comes from core cpi at 2.6% yoy, below trend.

What changed

What moved that day

majorBiggest move

Geopolitical shock shifted from moderate to elevated (54.9 to 55.1)

Quantitative moves below the historical median. The model's reading is stable, which may itself be the signal. Compared with May 4, 2026 (5 sessions ago).

  • moderateCooling down 0.9% to 21.4% (was 22.3%)
  • moderateSoft Landing down 0.6% to 19.8% (was 20.4%)
  • moderateInflation Shock up 1.6% to 28.5% (was 26.9%)
  • moderateFinancial conditions momentum shifted from stable to rising
  • moderateNew confirming driver: gasoline prices sharply higher
  • moderateConfirming driver dropped: gasoline prices well above trend

The four internals

Under the hood

  • Growth

    Slowing

    Score41.8 / 100
    Momentum: Stable -0.2 wk

    Is the economy expanding or slowing. Jobs, output, spending.

  • Inflation

    Firming

    Score60.9 / 100
    Momentum: Surging +1.6 wk

    How fast prices are rising, and whether the trend is up or down.

  • Financial Conditions

    Neutral

    Score49.2 / 100
    Momentum: Rising +1.8 wk

    How tight money is. Yields, credit spreads, the cost of borrowing.

  • Geopolitical Shock

    Elevated

    Score55.1 / 100
    Momentum: Falling +0.2 wk

    Stress from outside the model. Oil, war risk, market volatility.

Leading / lagging

Firming or breaking down

Leading signals

Overheating33.3%

Fast-moving market and survey data. Where the economy may be heading.

Lagging signals

Inflation Shock30.5%

Confirmed hard data. Where the economy demonstrably is.

Signal alignmentDiverging

The two layers disagree, so the regime is contested. Leading signals lean Overheating; lagging signals lean Inflation Shock. Leading signals typically lead the confirmed data by about 6 weeks.

What's next

Where it could go from here

  • Inflation Shock28.5%Primary alternative

    A transition to Inflation Shock would require core PCE to move higher, headline CPI to move higher, and consumer sentiment to shift higher. Momentum is broadly moving in the right direction, but gaps remain. consumer sentiment and crude oil are already near transition-compatible levels. Assumes other conditions remain constant.

    • core PCE (YoY %) · moderate gap
    • headline CPI (YoY %) · moderate gap
    • consumer sentiment · small gap
    • crude oil ($) · small gap
    • HY spread (%) · small gap
  • Cooling21.4%Primary alternative

    A transition to Cooling would require consumer sentiment to shift higher, capacity utilization to shift higher, and nonfarm payrolls to shift higher. Momentum is broadly moving in the right direction, but gaps remain. consumer sentiment and capacity utilization are already near transition-compatible levels. Assumes other conditions remain constant.

    • consumer sentiment · small gap
    • capacity utilization (%) · small gap
    • nonfarm payrolls (3mo avg chg, K) · small gap
    • crude oil ($) · small gap
    • HY spread (%) · small gap
  • Soft Landing19.8%Credible alternative

    A transition to Soft Landing would require core PCE to shift lower, headline CPI to shift lower, and core CPI to shift lower. Current momentum is working against this transition. core PCE and headline CPI are already near transition-compatible levels. Assumes other conditions remain constant.

    • core PCE (YoY %) · small gap
    • headline CPI (YoY %) · small gap
    • core CPI (YoY %) · small gap
    • consumer sentiment · small gap
    • HY spread (%) · small gap

Drivers

What held the call up

Confirming

Points that support the current regime call

  • core PCE at 3.2% YoY, sharply higher
  • headline CPI at 3.3% YoY, well above trend
  • gasoline prices sharply higher

Disconfirming

Points that argue against it

  • core CPI at 2.6% YoY, below trend
  • consumer sentiment at 53.3, well below trend
Market confirmationPartially confirming

Confirming

S&P 500, 10-year Treasury yield, high-yield credit spreads

Diverging

WTI crude oil

Asset implications

What this regime has meant for markets

The engine’s read, by asset class

  • EquitiesCautious, late-cycle risk

    Growth is running hot but firming inflation and neutral financial conditions cap the upside for equities.

  • RatesYields biased higher

    Surging inflation keeps yields biased higher as the Fed stays on hold.

  • CreditCarry positive, spreads uncertain

    Solid growth supports carry, but firming inflation creates spread uncertainty.

  • DollarUSD firm

    Firming inflation and firm growth keep the dollar supported.

  • GoldRange-bound

    Gold is range-bound as strong growth offsets the inflation bid.

  • OilConstructive

    Strong demand and the Hormuz blockade keep oil constructive.

How assets behaved historically in Overheating

Annualized figures across every past day the model scored this regime. History, not a forecast.

  • Nasdaq 100

    Vol 19.5% · Sharpe 1.39

    +27.1%
  • S&P 500

    Vol 14.5% · Sharpe 1.21

    +17.5%
  • Gold

    Vol 15.3% · Sharpe 0.81

    +12.4%
  • Emerging Markets

    Vol 17.5% · Sharpe 0.71

    +12.4%
  • Developed Markets

    Vol 14.9% · Sharpe 0.48

    +7.1%
  • Russell 2000

    Vol 19.2% · Sharpe 0.30

    +5.8%
  • HY Corporate

    Vol 4.7% · Sharpe 1.09

    +5.1%
  • TIPS

    Vol 4.0% · Sharpe 1.08

    +4.3%
  • IG Corporate

    Vol 5.5% · Sharpe 0.58

    +3.2%
  • 7-10Y Treasury

    Vol 5.2% · Sharpe 0.42

    +2.2%
  • Energy

    Vol 23.5% · Sharpe -0.20

    -4.6%
Sources & method

Every number on this page is produced by the Personal Stakes US macro engine and read straight from its published output. The website does not recompute the model, re-rank regimes, or invent values. Where a figure is missing, the section is left out rather than guessed.

Reference date
May 11, 2026
Data as of
2026-05-11 00:00 UTC
Run trigger
major macro release

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