— Weekly Macro Report
Week of May 27, 2026
This snapshot is more than a day old. The next engine run refreshes it. As of May 27, 2026.
The US macro picture points to Inflation Shock (29% probability, low confidence), with Overheating as the main alternative at 29%. Growth is slowing, inflation is firming, and geopolitical shock is moderate. The main tension comes from wage growth at 3.6% yoy, well below trend.
Inflation Shock
Prices are the story, and not in a good way. Stocks and bonds can lose together.
Closest alternative: Overheating at 28.7% · Inflation Shock -0.8 pts on the day
All five regimes
- Cooling21.4%
- Soft Landing19.8%
- OverheatingRunner-up28.7%
- Inflation ShockLeading28.8%
- Contraction1.3%
— 90-day history
The run-up to this week
2026-02-25 → 2026-05-27
— US internals
The four axes
Growth
Slowing
Score43.5 / 100Momentum: Stable↓ -0.5 wkIs the economy expanding or slowing. Jobs, output, spending.
Inflation
Firming
Score65.1 / 100Momentum: Surging↓ -1.9 wkHow fast prices are rising, and whether the trend is up or down.
Financial Conditions
Neutral
Score52.2 / 100Momentum: Rising↓ -1.6 wkHow tight money is. Yields, credit spreads, the cost of borrowing.
Geopolitical Shock
Moderate
Score51.1 / 100Momentum: Falling↓ -8.1 wkStress from outside the model. Oil, war risk, market volatility.
— Key drivers
What holds the call up, and what argues against it
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
- core CPI at 2.7% YoY, below trend
Confirming
10-year Treasury yield
Diverging
S&P 500, gold, high-yield credit spreads, WTI crude oil
— Week in review
What moved this week
Quantitative moves in the top 10% historically. The model is repricing significantly. Versus May 20, 2026.
Regime probabilities
- Cooling21.4%+0.8
- Soft Landing19.8%+0.4
- Overheating28.7%-0.2
- Inflation Shock28.8%-1.2
- Contraction1.3%+0.2
Internals
- GrowthSlowing43.5↓ -0.5
- InflationFirming65.1↓ -1.9
- Financial ConditionsNeutral52.2↓ -1.6
- Geopolitical ShockModerate51.1↓ -8.1
— Asset playbook
Positioning read and the empirical record
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
— Leading / lagging
Signal alignment
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.
— Market context
How the tracked assets did this week
- Russell 2000IWM+3.8%
- Emerging MarketsVWO+2.8%
- Nasdaq 100QQQ+2.3%
- Developed MarketsVEA+1.7%
- S&P 500SPY+1.2%
- IG CorporateLQD+0.9%
- 7-10Y TreasuryIEF+0.6%
- TIPSTIP+0.5%
- HY CorporateHYG+0.3%
- GoldGLD-2.1%
- EnergyXLE-4.7%
— Household impact
What this week means for your money
The levels the model watches, and the tools that turn them into your number.
Your mortgage and borrowing
4.5%10-year Treasury yield
Mortgage rates track the 10-year Treasury, not the Fed's overnight rate. This is the number that sets your monthly payment.
Your purchasing power
2.7%core CPI
This is how fast the stuff you buy is getting more expensive. Every point of it is a point off what your cash is worth a year from now.
Your savings and cash
3.6%fed funds rate
What a bank should be paying you to hold cash. If your savings account pays a lot less than this, it is quietly costing you.
Your retirement and risk
SlowingGrowth is slowing right now, and growth is what decides whether the next few years treat a 401(k) kindly. Pressure-test the plan before the regime does.
— What to watch
The variables that would move the call
- headline CPI (YoY %)InflationNow: 3.8% YoY → Needs: about 4.1% · momentum toward
- core PCE (YoY %)InflationNow: 3.2% YoY → Needs: about 3.5% · momentum toward
- consumer sentimentGrowthNow: 49.8 → Needs: about 52.0 · momentum neutral
- gasoline ($/gal)InflationNow: z=2.2 → Needs: z=2.7 · momentum toward
- wage growth (YoY %)InflationNow: 3.6% YoY → Needs: about 3.9% · momentum toward
- 10-year yield (%)Financial ConditionsNow: 4.5% → Needs: about 4.8% · momentum toward
Watch the prints that move these. Economic calendar →
The picture moves every week. Get it in your inbox — the daily briefing and every weekly report, free.
— What would change my mind
The price of being wrong
headline CPI at 3.8% YoY supports Inflation Shock, but wage growth at 3.6% yoy keeps Overheating in play.
Evidence against the call
- wage growth at 3.6% YoY, well below trend
- core CPI at 2.7% YoY, below trend
The call flips toward Overheating if…
A transition to Overheating would require headline CPI to shift higher, core PCE to shift higher, and consumer sentiment 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.
— Personal Stakes Signal
Get the next report automatically.
One signup for the daily briefing and every Weekly Macro Report. Free.
Free · No email wall · Unsubscribe anytime
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 27, 2026
- Data as of
- 2026-05-27 00:00 UTC
- Run trigger
- major macro release
— Free · Daily
Get the briefing in your inbox.
One plain-language market briefing after the close, every market day. Free forever.
Free · No spam · Unsubscribe anytime