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Market Outlook 2026

Every major macro topic, aggregated into a single destination page. Current state, key metrics with live values, active scenarios, recent analysis, and the signals to watch for each hub below.

Current Macro Regime
STAGFLATION

The macro regime is unambiguously STAGFLATION DEEPENING. The hot CPI print (pending event, 24h ago) is not a surprise — it is a CONFIRMATION of the pipeline signals that have been building for weeks: PPI accelerating faster than CPI, Cleveland nowcast at 5.28%, breakevens rising +10bp 1M across the curve. The tariff court ruling (10% global tariff reinstated) adds a structural inflation impulse that the Fed cannot cut through. Growth is decelerating on multiple fronts: GDPNow at 1.3%, housing permits -11.4% 3M, claims momentum rising, real wages -0.6%. The Fed is paralyzed at 3.75% — the dual mandate is in direct conflict. This is the textbook stagflation trap. The highest-conviction trade in this environment is LONG GOLD. The CFTC positioning at 2nd pctile (crowded short) means every spec short is a potential forced cover — this is a mechanical bid that exists independent of the macro thesis. The macro thesis (stagflation, real yields contained, central bank diversification, fiscal dominance fears) is confirmed by the hot CPI print. Gold at $4,701 is consolidating after a strong run; the $5,000-5,200 target remains intact. The only credible invalidation is a real yield spike above 2.25% on the 10Y TIPS (currently 1.95%) combined with DXY broad above 121 — neither is imminent. The market is getting EQUITIES wrong in both directions simultaneously. The credit-equity divergence (HYG -5.4% vs SPY 20D, 73% historical resolution bearish) and breadth non-confirmation (SPY +4.8% vs RSP +0.2% 20D) are structural bearish signals. But the ES CFTC positioning at 98th pctile net short and NAAIM at 2.0 create a violent squeeze risk on any positive catalyst — the Trump-Xi meeting (geopolitical de-escalation) is exactly that catalyst. The net view is NEUTRAL with negative skew: the structural signals are bearish but the positioning squeeze risk is real and near-term. The hot CPI print should pressure equities (especially growth/tech), but the squeeze risk from extreme short positioning means the downside is capped near-term. Scenario-weighted expected value across 40% stagflation deepening (-8%), 25% soft landing (+12%), 20% hard landing (-20%), 15% inflation re-acceleration (-5%) = approximately -2.5% expected return on SPX over 4-8 weeks — not enough conviction to be outright short given the squeeze risk.

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US Interest Rates

The path of US interest rates, from Fed funds through the long end of the Treasury curve.

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Inflation

Headline CPI, core inflation, PCE, and the inflation expectations embedded in markets.

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Credit Markets

Investment-grade and high-yield spreads, credit stress indicators, and the corporate bond market.

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Labor Market

Unemployment, nonfarm payrolls, wage growth, and labor force participation.

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Housing

Home prices, mortgage rates, housing starts, and residential real estate conditions.

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Recession Risk

Leading indicators, yield curve, Sahm rule, and composite recession probability models.

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US Equities

S&P 500, Nasdaq, small caps, sector rotation, and equity market conditions.

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Commodities

Oil, gold, copper, agricultural commodities, and the broader commodity complex.

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Energy Markets

Crude oil, natural gas, strategic petroleum reserve, and global energy flows.

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Crypto & Digital Assets

Bitcoin, Ethereum, stablecoins, and the broader digital asset ecosystem.

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Volatility Regimes

VIX, MOVE, currency volatility, and the cross-asset volatility landscape.

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US Dollar

DXY, major currency pairs, and the dollar's role in global financial conditions.

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Global Liquidity

Fed balance sheet, bank reserves, reverse repo, and the flow of liquidity through the system.

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Economic Growth

GDP, retail sales, industrial production, and real economy activity.

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Geopolitics

Conflicts, sanctions, trade tensions, and geopolitical risk pricing.

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Fed Policy

FOMC decisions, dot plot, balance sheet, and Federal Reserve communications.

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Global Macro

Cross-border growth divergence, central bank policy gaps, and global risk-on/risk-off regimes.

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Trade Policy

Tariffs, trade agreements, and the supply-chain implications of trade restrictions.

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Fiscal Policy

Budget deficits, Treasury issuance, debt ceiling, and fiscal impulse to the economy.

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Emerging Markets

EM equities, currencies, sovereign debt, and cross-border capital flows.

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US Economy

Composite view of the US economic cycle: growth, employment, inflation, and consumer health.

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China Economy

China growth, trade, currency, and the PBoC policy stance that ripples through global markets.

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Japan Economy

Japan growth, BoJ policy normalization, yen dynamics, and the end of the deflation era.

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Eurozone Economy

Eurozone growth, ECB policy, peripheral spreads, and the single currency outlook.

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UK Economy

UK growth, BoE policy, gilt market, and the post-Brexit macro landscape.

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India Economy

India growth, RBI policy, rupee dynamics, and the structural reform trajectory.

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Brazil Economy

Brazil growth, BCB policy, real dynamics, and commodity-driven cycles.

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Yield Curve

Curve shape, inversion dynamics, steepening signals, and what they imply for the cycle.

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Real Estate

Residential and commercial real estate, REITs, mortgage markets, and property cycle indicators.

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Energy Markets

Oil, natural gas, energy equities, and the supply/demand dynamics driving prices.

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Banking Sector

Bank stocks, lending standards, deposits, and credit intermediation health.

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Consumer Health

Consumer credit, spending, savings, sentiment, and household balance sheet stress.

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Corporate Earnings

Profit cycle, earnings revisions, corporate margins, and the equity valuation bridge.

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US Deficit & Debt

Federal budget deficit, Treasury issuance pressure, and the debt sustainability trajectory.

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Money Supply

M2, monetary base, velocity, and the quantity-theory transmission to growth and inflation.

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Dollar Hegemony

Reserve currency dynamics, de-dollarization trends, and the structural role of the dollar in global finance.

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Supply Chains

Global supply chain pressure, shipping, manufacturing backlogs, and logistics bottlenecks.

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AI & Tech Cycle

Semiconductor demand, AI capex, tech earnings, and the technology investment cycle.

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Small Caps

Russell 2000, market breadth, small-cap credit sensitivity, and the risk-on signal.

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Gold & Precious Metals

Gold, silver, and the macro drivers of precious metals: real yields, the dollar, and central bank demand.

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Fixed Income

Broad bond market: Treasuries, corporates, duration risk, and the total return landscape.

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Risk Appetite

Cross-asset risk-on/risk-off signal from equities, credit, FX, and positioning data.

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Term Premium

Duration risk compensation, ACM model, and what the term premium reveals about bond market structure.

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Wage-Price Dynamics

Wages versus productivity, unit labor costs, and the feedback loop between pay and prices.

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Geopolitics & Markets

Trade wars, sanctions, conflict, and the transmission of geopolitical shocks to asset prices.

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Credit Cycle

Lending standards, delinquencies, HY/IG spread dynamics, and the position in the credit cycle.

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Mortgage Market

Mortgage rates, refinancing activity, housing affordability, and the rate lock-in effect.

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Commodity Supercycle

Structural demand thesis for commodities: energy transition, infrastructure, and supply underinvestment.

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Financial Conditions

Composite financial conditions indices, the tightness/looseness spectrum, and macro transmission.

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Sentiment & Positioning

CFTC positioning, put/call ratios, margin debt, and the contrarian signal toolkit.

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Central Bank Divergence

Policy gaps between the Fed, ECB, BoJ, BoE, and the currency/rate trades they create.

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Money Market Flows

Money market fund assets, cash allocation, and the rotation between risk assets and safety.

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Real Yields

TIPS yields across the curve, real rate regime, and the implications for gold, tech, and crypto.

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Foreign Treasury Holdings

TIC data on foreign official and private holdings of US Treasuries, and the funding of the deficit.

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Mexico Economy

Mexico growth, Banxico policy, peso dynamics, and nearshoring-driven structural shift.

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Canada Economy

Canada growth, Bank of Canada policy, loonie dynamics, and commodity-driven cycles.

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South Korea Economy

South Korea growth, BOK policy, won dynamics, and semiconductor export cycle exposure.

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Australia Economy

Australia growth, RBA policy, AUD dynamics, and resource export dependence on China demand.

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Turkey Economy

Turkey growth, CBRT policy, lira dynamics, and the recurring inflation-devaluation cycle.

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Switzerland Economy

Switzerland growth, SNB policy, franc dynamics, and the safe-haven capital flow regime.

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South Africa Economy

South Africa growth, SARB policy, rand dynamics, and structural constraints from load-shedding.

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Private Credit

Direct lending, private debt markets, BDCs, and the migration of credit intermediation away from banks.

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Demographic Shift

Aging populations, labor force shrinkage, dependency ratios, and the macro implications of demographic change.

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Defense Spending

Global defense budgets, NATO commitments, and the industrial base supporting the rearmament cycle.

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Water & Agriculture

Agricultural commodity prices, water scarcity, food security, and weather-driven supply shocks.

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Nuclear Energy

Nuclear renaissance, SMR development, uranium supply, and the role of nuclear in energy security and AI power demand.

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Rare Earths & Critical Minerals

Supply concentration risk in rare earths, lithium, cobalt, and the minerals powering the energy transition.

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Shipping & Logistics

Container freight rates, dry bulk indices, port congestion, and the arteries of global trade.

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Healthcare Costs

Medical cost inflation, pharmaceutical pricing, health insurance premiums, and their macro weight.

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Commercial Real Estate

Office, retail, and industrial CRE fundamentals, cap rates, CMBS stress, and the post-pandemic repricing.

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Data Center Demand

AI-driven power demand, data center buildout, utility capacity constraints, and the infrastructure investment cycle.

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Nearshoring & Reshoring

Supply chain reconfiguration, friend-shoring investment, and the shift of manufacturing from China to allied nations.

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De-Dollarization

Reserve diversification, bilateral trade settlement in local currencies, and the structural challenge to dollar primacy.

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Sovereign Debt Risk

Government debt sustainability, fiscal deficits, debt-to-GDP trajectories, and emerging market sovereign stress.

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Pension Funding

Public and private pension funded status, discount rate sensitivity, and the implications for asset allocation and fiscal pressure.

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Fintech Disruption

Digital payments, neobanks, embedded finance, and the technology-driven transformation of financial services.

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Automation & Productivity

AI-driven productivity gains, robotics adoption, labor displacement, and the macro growth implications.

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ESG & Carbon Markets

Carbon credit pricing, emissions trading, ESG fund flows, and the intersection of climate policy and markets.

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