This is the regime read as it stood on May 13, 2026, from that day’s model output. See today’s regime →
Inflation Shock
Prices are the story, and not in a good way. Stocks and bonds can lose together.
Closest alternative: Overheating at 29.1% · Inflation Shock +0.4 pts on the day
All five regimes
- Cooling20.9%
- Soft Landing19.3%
- OverheatingRunner-up29.1%
- Inflation ShockLeading29.5%
- Contraction1.2%
This snapshot is more than a day old. The next engine run refreshes it. As of May 13, 2026.
The US macro picture points to Inflation Shock (30% probability, low confidence), with Overheating as the main alternative at 29%. Growth is slowing, inflation is firming, and geopolitical shock is elevated. The main tension comes from wage growth at 3.6% yoy, well below trend.
— What changed
What moved that day
Regime call changed from Overheating to Inflation Shock
Quantitative moves in the top 10% historically. The model is repricing significantly. Compared with May 6, 2026 (5 sessions ago).
- majorEquities stance changed from Cautious, late-cycle risk to Negative
- majorRates stance changed from Yields biased higher to Yields biased higher
- majorCredit stance changed from Carry positive, spreads uncertain to Spreads vulnerable
- majorDollar stance changed from USD firm to USD-supportive
- majorGold stance changed from Range-bound to Positive but conflicted
- majorOil stance changed from Constructive to Strongly supportive
- majorS&P 500 flipped from confirming to diverging
- majorgold flipped from confirming to diverging
- majorhigh-yield credit spreads flipped from confirming to diverging
- moderateCooling down 0.6% to 20.9% (was 21.5%)
- moderateSoft Landing down 0.6% to 19.3% (was 19.9%)
- moderateInflation Shock up 1.2% to 29.5% (was 28.3%)
- moderateInflation score up 6.7 to 66.7 (was 60.0)
- moderateFinancial conditions score up 3.2 to 51.1 (was 47.9)
- moderateFinancial conditions momentum shifted from stable to rising
- moderateGeopolitical shock momentum shifted from falling to declining
- moderateNew confirming driver: headline CPI at 3.8% YoY, sharply higher
- moderateConfirming driver dropped: headline CPI at 3.3% YoY, well above trend
— The four internals
Under the hood
Growth
Slowing
Score41.8 / 100Momentum: Stable↓ -0.2 wkIs the economy expanding or slowing. Jobs, output, spending.
Inflation
Firming
Score66.7 / 100Momentum: Surging↑ +6.7 wkHow fast prices are rising, and whether the trend is up or down.
Financial Conditions
Neutral
Score51.1 / 100Momentum: Rising↑ +3.2 wkHow tight money is. Yields, credit spreads, the cost of borrowing.
Geopolitical Shock
Elevated
Score57.5 / 100Momentum: Declining↑ +1.9 wkStress from outside the model. Oil, war risk, market volatility.
— Leading / lagging
Firming or breaking down
Leading signals
Fast-moving market and survey data. Where the economy may be heading.
Lagging signals
Confirmed hard data. Where the economy demonstrably is.
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
- Overheating29.1%Primary alternative
A transition to Overheating would require headline CPI to shift higher, core PCE to shift higher, and gasoline to shift higher. Momentum is broadly moving in the right direction, but gaps remain. headline CPI and core PCE are already near transition-compatible levels. Assumes other conditions remain constant.
- ↑ headline CPI (YoY %) · small gap
- ↑ core PCE (YoY %) · small gap
- ↑ gasoline ($/gal) · small gap
- → consumer sentiment · moderate gap
- ↓ crude oil ($) · small gap
- Cooling20.9%Primary alternative
A transition to Cooling would require headline CPI to shift lower, core PCE to shift lower, and consumer sentiment to shift higher. headline CPI and core PCE are already near transition-compatible levels. Assumes other conditions remain constant.
- ↑ headline CPI (YoY %) · small gap
- ↑ core PCE (YoY %) · small gap
- → consumer sentiment · small gap
- ↓ crude oil ($) · small gap
- ↑ 10-year yield (%) · small gap
- Soft Landing19.3%Credible alternative
A transition to Soft Landing would require headline CPI to move lower, core PCE to move lower, and consumer sentiment to shift higher. consumer sentiment and crude oil are already near transition-compatible levels. Assumes other conditions remain constant.
- ↑ headline CPI (YoY %) · moderate gap
- ↑ core PCE (YoY %) · moderate gap
- → consumer sentiment · small gap
- ↓ crude oil ($) · small gap
- ↑ 10-year yield (%) · small gap
— Drivers
What held the call up
Confirming
Points that support the current regime call
- headline CPI at 3.8% YoY, sharply higher
- core PCE at 3.2% YoY, sharply higher
- gasoline prices sharply higher
Disconfirming
Points that argue against it
- wage growth at 3.6% YoY, well below trend
- consumer sentiment at 53.3, well below trend
Confirming
10-year Treasury yield, WTI crude oil
Diverging
S&P 500, gold, high-yield credit spreads
— Asset implications
What this regime has meant for markets
The engine’s read, by asset class
- EquitiesNegative
Slowing growth and firming inflation from the Hormuz blockade create a dual headwind for risk assets.
- RatesYields biased higher
Inflation momentum is surging while growth is slowing, keeping yields biased higher as the market prices out cuts.
- CreditSpreads vulnerable
Firming inflation and rising financial conditions compress risk appetite, leaving spread products under pressure.
- DollarUSD-supportive
Safe-haven demand and neutral financial conditions support the dollar as the Hormuz blockade sustains uncertainty.
- GoldPositive but conflicted
The regime favors gold as an inflation hedge, but current price action is not fully confirming as dollar strength crowds out the gold bid.
- OilStrongly supportive
Oil is both a driver and beneficiary of the Hormuz blockade, with surging inflation momentum reinforcing the feedback loop.
How assets behaved historically in Inflation Shock
Annualized figures across every past day the model scored this regime. History, not a forecast.
- +70.6%
Energy
Vol 33.3% · Sharpe 2.12
- +26.6%
Russell 2000
Vol 27.4% · Sharpe 0.97
- +17.4%
S&P 500
Vol 22.6% · Sharpe 0.77
- +12.3%
Nasdaq 100
Vol 28.3% · Sharpe 0.43
- +10.8%
Developed Markets
Vol 21.6% · Sharpe 0.50
- +3.6%
HY Corporate
Vol 10.3% · Sharpe 0.35
- -0.8%
Emerging Markets
Vol 23.3% · Sharpe -0.04
- -2.7%
TIPS
Vol 7.6% · Sharpe -0.35
- -3.4%
Gold
Vol 18.6% · Sharpe -0.18
- -5.8%
IG Corporate
Vol 9.8% · Sharpe -0.59
- -9.8%
7-10Y Treasury
Vol 8.0% · Sharpe -1.22
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 13, 2026
- Data as of
- 2026-05-13 00:00 UTC
- Run trigger
- major macro release
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