CONVEX
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▍ STATISTICAL PROJECTION · YEAR-END 2026

Based on current macro regime conditions and 3-month bill auction high yield's historical behaviour in similar regimes, the model projects 16.49% by 2026-12-31 ( +346.4% from 3.69% today). The 68% confidence range is 8.04% to 24.94%; the wider 95% range is -0.07% to 33.05%. Methodology below the headline.

Central Estimate
16.49%
+346.4% vs current 3.69%
68% Range (±1σ)
8.04% to 24.94%
95% Range (±1.96σ)
-0.07% to 33.05%
Blended from 4 regime anchors· sample-weighted
VIX · Normal (15-25)
+492.0%n=635 · w=43%
10Y-2Y Yield Curve · Flat (0-100bps)
+157.8%n=442 · w=30%
HY OAS Spread · Tight (<350bps)
+1820.6%n=189 · w=13%
Trade-Weighted Dollar · Weak (bottom tercile)
+347.9%n=205 · w=14%
METHOD: CENTRAL = SAMPLE-WEIGHTED MEAN OF PER-ANCHOR CURRENT-REGIME 1Y AVERAGES, SCALED TO 161-DAY HORIZON. BAND = ±σ√T USING 286.1% ANNUALIZED REALIZED VOL.
EXPECTED TO BE 16.49% BY 2026-12-31 (HIGHER FROM 3.69% ON 2026-05-11). NOT INVESTMENT ADVICE.
▍ MODEL · STATISTICAL FORECAST · 2026

3-Month Bill Auction High Yield Forecast 2026

Quantitative analysis from 1,301 observations of 3-Month Bill Auction High Yield history, joined to four universal macro regime classifications. Numbers are computed, not narrated.

ByConvex Research Desk·Edited byBen Bleier·
AUCTION-3M-YIELD · LAST
3.69%
AS OF 2026-05-11
Percentile · 25Y History
78.4th
▍ HEADLINE SIGNAL · CONTRARIAN BULLISH
Hist. Avg +252d
+492.0%
vs +0.1% unconditional · +492.0%pp above
When VIX sits in its Normal (15-25) regime — as it does today (17.26) — 3-Month Bill Auction High Yield has historically returned an average of +492.04% over the next 252 trading days, 492.0pp above the all-history average of +0.08%. Sample: 635 observations, 48.1% hit rate.
METHOD: PERCENTILE-RANK MATCHED, LOOK-AHEAD-BIAS-FREE·NOT A FORECAST·HISTORICAL CONDITIONAL AVERAGE

Regime Scan[01/04]

VIX
Normal (15-25)
+492.0%+1Y AVG
Δ +492.0%pp · n=635
10Y-2Y Yield Curve
Flat (0-100bps)
+157.8%+1Y AVG
Δ +157.7%pp · n=442
Trade-Weighted Dollar
Weak (bottom tercile)
+347.9%+1Y AVG
Δ +347.8%pp · n=205

Δ = divergence from +0.1% unconditional all-history average

Performance by Window[02]

WINDOWNANN RETANN VOLRET/VOLHIT %TOTAL
1Y53-16.25%6.42%-2.5325.0%-16.20%
3Y157-10.87%6.38%-1.7029.5%-29.11%
5Y261201.94%69.34%2.9144.6%24526.67%
10Y52129.53%88.16%0.3346.3%1224.01%
All1,3010.08%286.14%0.0045.4%1.99%

Annualized total return = (1 + total)^(1/years) - 1. Ret/Vol is the annualized return divided by annualized volatility (Sharpe-equivalent without risk-free subtraction). Hit % = pct of single periods that were positive.

Where We Are Now[03]

Percentile Rank
78.4th
0.01median 1.155.51
Current value 3.6940 on a 1,301-observation history going back to Dec 8, 2008.
Volatility Regime
low
7.11%REALIZED 30D ANN
Sits at the 11.2th percentile vs full history. Median 62.85%.

Forward Returns by Macro Regime[04]

How 3-Month Bill Auction High Yield has performed historically conditional on the prevailing macro regime. The current bucket is highlighted; +1Y averages drive the headline signal above.

VIX
Volatility regime: Low (<15), Normal (15-25), Elevated (25-40), Extreme (>40)
CURRENT: 17.26 Normal (15-25)
REGIME BUCKETN+30D+90D+1Y AVG+1Y MEDHIT %
Low (<15)42410.31%28.95%104.39%7.15%52.7%
Normal (15-25)63520.57%58.72%492.04%-3.11%48.1%
Elevated (25-40)19811.99%76.01%202.85%-23.40%32.3%
Extreme (>40)4278.63%85.61%15.26%-56.58%19.0%
10Y-2Y Yield Curve
Yield curve regime: Inverted (<0bps), Flat (0-100bps), Steep (>100bps)
CURRENT: 0.50 Flat (0-100bps)
REGIME BUCKETN+30D+90D+1Y AVG+1Y MEDHIT %
Inverted (<0bps)1653.10%7.31%0.62%-15.19%34.5%
Flat (0-100bps)4426.29%30.42%157.80%-6.04%48.7%
Steep (>100bps)69428.39%76.33%451.00%-10.99%47.4%
HY OAS Spread
Credit regime: Tight (<350bps), Normal (350-500bps), Stressed (>500bps)
CURRENT: 2.76 Tight (<350bps)
REGIME BUCKETN+30D+90D+1Y AVG+1Y MEDHIT %
Tight (<350bps)18916.65%113.58%1820.62%-8.26%47.4%
Normal (350-500bps)28713.73%60.67%247.92%15.33%58.2%
Stressed (>500bps)11467.38%146.84%281.29%141.11%70.2%
Trade-Weighted Dollar
Dollar regime: bottom/middle/top tercile of trailing 5Y rolling distribution
CURRENT: 118.04 Weak (bottom tercile)
REGIME BUCKETN+30D+90D+1Y AVG+1Y MEDHIT %
Weak (bottom tercile)205-2.05%-1.13%347.87%-60.73%34.4%
Neutral (middle)26423.73%101.82%806.05%-13.16%44.9%
Strong (top tercile)53031.23%74.34%217.09%-7.07%46.4%

Forward returns are forward-looking from each historical observation in the bucket; +252d corresponds to one trading year. Buckets with fewer than 5 forward-return observations are reported as n/a. These are conditional historical averages, not forecasts.

Lead-Lag Relationships[05]

For each universally-recognised leading indicator, the lag at which the daily-return correlation peaks. Positive lag means the anchor leads 3-Month Bill Auction High Yield; negative means it lags.

ANCHORROLEPEAK LAGPEAK CORRZERO-LAGRELATIONSHIP
NFCIFinancial conditions+58d0.631-0.017leads target by 58d
Initial Jobless ClaimsLabor leader+51d-0.187-0.111leads target by 51d
Trade-Weighted DollarFX driver+10d0.174-0.029leads target by 10d
VIXVolatility leader+8d0.125-0.036weak
CopperGlobal growth proxy+10d-0.122-0.020weak
HY OAS SpreadCredit risk leader+3d0.121-0.045weak
10Y Treasury YieldDiscount-rate driver+2d-0.0990.074weak
Baa-10Y SpreadCredit risk (slow)+8d0.083-0.059weak
10Y-2Y Yield SpreadRecession leader-42d0.0470.004weak
U-Mich Consumer SentimentSurvey leader0d0.0000.000weak

Pearson correlation of daily returns over up to 25 years of overlapping history, searched across a ±60-day lag grid. Indicators classified as “weak” don't have meaningful predictive power at daily resolution; many of these (yield curve, NFCI, sentiment) lead at monthly/quarterly horizons instead.

Historical Analogs[06]

Periods where 3-Month Bill Auction High Yield sat at a similar percentile rank to today, with what happened over the next 30 / 90 / 252 trading days. Analogs are clustered to avoid double-counting nearby dates.

DATEVALUE+30D+90D+1Y
Apr 28, 20254.30401.21%-6.25%-14.66%
Jul 11, 20222.151030.08%101.02%151.46%
Aug 5, 20192.0330-2.26%-22.68%-94.79%
May 6, 20192.4340-8.87%-18.36%-94.78%
Feb 4, 20192.43301.32%-8.84%-34.98%

Worst Historical Drawdown[07]

-99.90%PEAK-TO-TROUGH
Peak Feb 26, 2007 → trough Dec 8, 2008. Recovered to prior peak on Apr 17, 2023 (5,243 days).
All-time high: 5.5090 on Oct 2, 2023 · Current DD from ATH: -32.95%

Cross-Asset Correlations · 1Y[08]

S&P 500
-0.064
n=50
Nasdaq 100
0.001
n=50
20Y Treasury
-0.332
n=50
Gold
-0.141
n=50
Bitcoin
-0.140
n=50

Largest Single-Period Moves[09]

▲ Up
  • Dec 15, 2008920.00%
  • Nov 2, 2015460.00%
  • Dec 27, 2011400.00%
  • Oct 15, 2013277.14%
  • Oct 7, 2013250.00%
▼ Down
  • Sep 21, 2015-91.07%
  • Dec 8, 2008-90.20%
  • Dec 5, 2011-83.87%
  • Oct 21, 2013-73.48%
  • Mar 30, 2020-70.75%

Calendar-Month Seasonality[10]

Average single-period return aggregated by the calendar month in which the period ended.

MONTHAVG RETURNHIT %N
January3.20%41.4%111
February4.21%56.4%101
March-0.32%44.5%110
April-0.07%43.0%107
May1.93%51.9%106
June2.86%40.9%110
July3.10%48.6%111
August1.34%44.5%110
September-0.46%34.3%108
October6.88%51.4%109
November6.55%46.2%106
December13.21%42.3%111

N = 1,301 OBS · GENERATED 2026-05-17 21:31Z

Forecast Approach

regime implied: The current macro regime classification (Goldilocks, Reflation, Stagflation, or Deflation) dictates the expected direction and magnitude of movement, calibrated against historical regime performance.

Key Drivers & Risks

  • Macro regime
  • Monetary policy
  • Risk appetite

Historical Volatility

Moderate

Frequently Asked Questions

What factors could push 3-Month Bill Auction High Yield higher?

The primary drivers that tend to lift 3-Month Bill Auction High Yield depend on the current macro regime. Stop-out (high) yield awarded at the latest 3-Month Bill auction; the clearing price that cleared the full issue size. Convex tracks these drivers live across the Treasury Auctions category and flags when multiple forces align in the same direction. See the "Key Drivers & Risks" section on this page for the current list, and check the regime dashboard for how the macro backdrop is currently tilted.

What factors could push 3-Month Bill Auction High Yield lower?

The same transmission channels that drive 3-Month Bill Auction High Yield higher operate in reverse when conditions flip. The risk drivers listed above map directly to scenarios that, if triggered, would pull this metric in the opposite direction. Convex aggregates these into a scenario-weighted probability distribution rather than a point forecast, so the magnitude depends on which scenarios activate.

Where does consensus see 3-Month Bill Auction High Yield heading?

Rather than publish a point target that goes stale the day after release, Convex assembles consensus from the macro regime classification, active scenario probabilities, and historical base rates. Point forecasts from banks and strategists are worth reading for context, but they typically cluster around the consensus and miss the tail events that actually move markets. The scenario-weighted approach here captures that tail risk explicitly.

What is the historical range for 3-Month Bill Auction High Yield?

Historical ranges for 3-Month Bill Auction High Yield vary dramatically by regime. A level that is extreme in Goldilocks can be routine in Stagflation, and vice versa. The Historical Volatility section on this page describes the typical range and regime-specific behavior. For the full multi-decade history, visit the 3-Month Bill Auction High Yield chart page, which includes selectable time ranges up to five years and downloadable data.

How often is the 3-Month Bill Auction High Yield forecast updated?

This forecast page recalculates whenever the underlying data or regime classification changes, typically within hours of new data releases. The scenario probabilities refresh daily as the macro state is regenerated. Specific drivers listed on this page reflect the current state of the Convex regime engine, not static historical assumptions.

Is this forecast actionable for trading?

Convex forecasts are informational and educational. They describe probability distributions and regime-conditional paths rather than specific entry and exit levels. Traders and portfolio managers use them alongside other inputs including position sizing rules, risk management, and their own conviction calibration. They are not investment advice.

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Forecasts are model-based projections derived from current regime classification, scenario probabilities, and historical patterns. They are not investment advice. All investments involve risk.