U.S. High Yield Credit Spreads vs. VIX High-yield spreads are pricing in a smooth ride. Spreads are tight, balance sheets look solid, and the risk is that confidence slips into complacency. Active monitoring helps catch early signs of stress.Image: Topdown Charts
VIX Seasonality The market’s summer calm does not always last. Volatility often picks up from late July into the autumn, setting the stage for a bumpier ride in U.S. stocks. Image: Topdown Charts
VIX and S&P 500 Seasonality The VIX and the S&P 500 usually move in opposite directions. As volatility rises from late July into the autumn months, the period often proves challenging for U.S. stocks. Image: Topdown Charts
Volatility – VIX and SKEW Index The VIX–SKEW divergence is less about calm and more about caution. Volatility looks subdued, but the steady rise in SKEW suggests investors are quietly paying up for protection against a downside shock. Image: Real Investment Advice
Volatility – VIX Index The VIX dropping below 20 signals fading market jitters and a steadier tone, typically a tailwind for equities as calmer volatility expectations often accompany rising stock prices. Lower volatility tends to invite buyers back in. Image: MarketDesk Research
VIX vs. S&P 500 Compared with past oil shocks, the S&P 500’s drop looks measured. Investors seem braced for short-term turbulence rather than a structural shift in sentiment. The pullback feels more like caution than panic. Image: BCA Research
Volatility – VIX vs. VIXEQ Single-stock volatility is rising faster than the VIX as leadership rotates from tech toward energy names and companies tied to real assets. Volatility beneath the surface says more about market uncertainty than the VIX right now. Image: Bloomberg
S&P 500 and Combination of Forward PE, VIX, Bullish Sentiment The Euphoriameter, a composite of forward P/E, the VIX, and bullish sentiment, has cooled from a year ago but is still sitting close to the top of its historical range, flashing an early warning for the market cycle. Image: Topdown Charts
Sentiment/VIX Composite vs. S&P 500 Markets may be rallying, but the Sentiment/VIX Composite Index and broader positioning data show investors are still hedging their bets—more guarded than convinced about the rally’s staying power. Image: Real Investment Advice
S&P 500 and VIX Closes Down 25% from Intraday Peak Good news for bulls: big fear fades, stocks surge. Each time the VIX finished more than 25% off its intraday high, the S&P 500 was higher six and twelve months later—no exceptions. Since 1990, average one‑year gain: 15%. Image: Carson Investment Research
MOVE, VIX and FX Volatility The “Goldilocks summer” of market calm is essentially over, as mounting concerns about the U.S. economy awaken markets from their seasonal slumber. Image: Bloomberg