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Macro Regime — 2013-W39

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↩ Home Macro index ← 2013-09 board

⚠ 2 very-stale + 0 stale series across the four blocs — flagged inline.

Standing macro backdropBORROWED

Borrowed from its month (2013-09); the weekly reads the standing object, it does not recompute the aggregate.

United States: expansion, at target
China: stall-speed, at target
Euro area: stall-speed, at target
Japan: disinflationary stall

month aggregated actuals

United States

Indicator	Basis	2013-09	2013-08	Change
Core CPI	% MoM	0.16 2013-09-01	0.19 2013-08-01	→ -0.03
Core PCE	% YoY	1.53 2013-09-01	1.53 2013-08-01	→ 0
CPI (YoY)	% YoY	1.09 2013-09-01	1.54 2013-08-01	▼ -0.45
FX vs USD	px	not recorded
GDP	% QoQ ann.	not recorded
PMI (mfg)	index	55.7 2013-09-03	55.4 2013-08-01	→ 0.3
PMI (svc)	index	58.6 2013-09-05	56 2013-08-05	▲ 2.6
Policy rate	%	0.25 2013-09-30	0.25 2013-08-31	→ 0
2s10s slope	pp	2.31 2013-09-30	2.39 2013-08-30	▼ -0.08
Unemployment	%	7.2 2013-09-01	7.2 2013-08-01	→ 0
10Y yield	%	2.64 2013-09-30	2.78 2013-08-30	▼ -0.14
2Y yield	%	0.33 2013-09-30	0.39 2013-08-30	▼ -0.06

China

Indicator	Basis	2013-09	2013-08	Change
CPI (YoY)	% YoY	2.6 2013-09-09	2.7 2013-08-09	→ -0.1
FX vs USD	px	not recorded
GDP	% YoY	not recorded
PMI (mfg)	index	51.1 2013-09-01	51 2013-08-01	→ 0.1
PMI (svc)	index	53.9 2013-09-03	54.1 2013-08-03	→ -0.2
Policy rate	% (1Y LPR)	not recorded
2s10s slope	pp	0.22 2013-09-30	0.23 2013-08-30	→ -0.01
Unemployment	%	not recorded
10Y yield	%	4 2013-09-30	4.04 2013-08-30	→ -0.04
2Y yield	%	3.77 2013-09-30	3.8 2013-08-30	→ -0.03

Euro area

Indicator	Basis	2013-09	2013-08	Change
CPI (YoY)	% YoY	1.1 2013-09-30	1.3 2013-08-30	▼ -0.2
FX vs USD	px	not recorded
GDP	% YoY	0.1 2013-09-16	-0.5 2013-08-16	▲ 0.6
PMI (mfg)	index	51.1 2013-09-23	51.3 2013-08-22	→ -0.2
PMI (svc)	index	52.1 2013-09-23	51 2013-08-22	▲ 1.1
Policy rate	%	0.5 2013-09-05	0.5 2013-08-01	→ 0
Unemployment	%	not recorded
10Y yield	%	3.41 2013-09-01	3.1 2013-08-01	▲ 0.31

Japan

Indicator	Basis	2013-09	2013-08	Change
Core CPI	% YoY	-0.1 2013-09-25	-0.1 2013-08-25	→ 0
CPI (YoY)	% YoY	0.9 2013-09-25	0.7 2013-08-25	▲ 0.2
FX vs USD	px	not recorded
GDP	% YoY	not recorded
PMI (mfg)		not recorded
Policy rate	%	0.1 2013-09-05	0.1 2013-08-08	→ 0
Unemployment	%	4.1 2013-09-29	3.8 2013-08-29	▲ 0.3
10Y yield	%	0.67 2013-09-01	0.71 2013-08-01	→ -0.04

ThesisL0

(historical week — no Claude narration run)

Standing pictureL1

United States

expansion, at target

expansion · at target · on hold

Solid growth with inflation near target. Constructive for risk assets broadly; the watch-item is whether inflation starts to push above target and shifts policy.

● 1 active

China

stall-speed, at target

stall · at target · on hold

Growth hovering near flat with inflation roughly at target. A balanced, low-conviction regime — direction depends on which way growth breaks next; watch PMI for the tell.

○ no change

Euro area ⚠ stale

stall-speed, at target

stall · at target · on hold

Growth hovering near flat with inflation roughly at target. A balanced, low-conviction regime — direction depends on which way growth breaks next; watch PMI for the tell.

● 1 active

Japan ⚠ stale

disinflationary stall

unknown · below target · on hold

Sub-trend growth with low, easing inflation. Duration and quality tend to lead; cyclicals lag until growth re-accelerates. Policy easing is the usual circuit-breaker.

○ no change

Mechanisms & channelsL2

United States

M5Growth acceleration (expansionary PMI)

Trigger: pmi_mfg: 55.4 → 55.7 (+0.3)

Manufacturing PMIPMI — Purchasing Managers' Index. Above 50 = the sector is expanding vs last month; below 50 = contracting. A timely read on activity. is above 50 and rising.
Why: A reading above 50 means more firms report expanding activity than contracting; rising means the breadth of expansion is widening — a timely, forward-looking growth signal.
Earnings expectations broaden toward economically-sensitive sectors.
Why: Stronger activity feeds revenue and pricing power first in the parts of the market geared to the physical economy.
Cyclicalscyclicals — Sectors whose earnings rise and fall with the economic cycle — industrials, materials, energy, consumer discretionary., small-caps, EM and commodities lead; defensivesdefensives — Sectors whose demand is steady through the cycle — consumer staples, utilities, healthcare. They outperform when growth slows. lag.
Why: Capital rotates toward the cycle — industrials, materials, energy, smaller and more leveraged firms, and the commodities their activity consumes — while steady-demand defensives become relatively less attractive.

Helps
cyclicals (industrials, materials, energy)small-capsEM equitycommodities

Hurts
defensive sectors (staples, utilities)long government bonds

Caveat: If acceleration also stokes inflation fears, the bond-yield response can offset the equity benefit (good growth becomes 'too good'), especially late-cycle.

House-view hook — empty (textbook default; Stephen's view bakes in here).

What would change the read

Inflation surprise (upside) Core inflation is steady, so the upside-surprise channel is quiet. It would fire on a core reading ≥0.2pp above the prior — watch it because that is what forces a central bank to stay restrictive and pressures the longest-duration assets first.
Inflation surprise (downside / disinflation) Core inflation isn't cooling fast enough to trigger the disinflation channel. A fall of ≥0.2pp would fire it — worth watching because it is the cleanest tailwind for long-duration growth and government bonds.
Monetary easing (rate cut) The policy rate is on hold, so the easing channel is dormant. A cut would fire it — it matters because the first cut of a cycle typically broadens a rally and pressures the currency.

China

No active mechanism this week — the standing read above carries the bloc.

What would change the read

Growth acceleration (expansionary PMI) Manufacturing isn't both expanding and accelerating, so the growth-acceleration channel is dormant. A rising PMI back above 50 would fire it — it matters because it's the signal to rotate from defensives toward cyclicals.
Growth slowdown (deepening contraction) Manufacturing is not both below 50 and falling, so the deepening-contraction channel is dormant. It fires when a sub-50 PMI turns lower — that is the trigger for the defensive rotation and a bid for duration (a sub-50 PMI that is *rising* is the trough channel, M13, not this one).
Long-end yield spike / term-premium rise The 10-year yield isn't spiking, so this channel is dormant. A jump of ≥0.1pp would fire it — watch it because it compresses the highest-multiple growth names and long bonds fastest.

Euro area

M9Long-end yield spike / term-premium rise

Trigger: yield_10y: 3.09684 → 3.40709 (+0.310254)

⚠ Fired on a stale print: yield_10y as of 2013-09-01 (28d old). The change may predate current conditions — treat as provisional.

The 10-year yield jumps.
Why: The long yield sets the cost of long-term money for the whole economy and the discount ratediscount rate — The rate used to convert a future cash flow into today's value. A higher discount rate makes far-off cash flows worth less now. for the longest cash flows.
The discount rate on all long-dated cash flows rises.
Why: Equity valuations and long-bond prices are present values of distant cash flows; a higher long yield shrinks those present values.
Long-duration growth equities compress, long bonds fall, gold is pressured.
Why: The longest-duration assets are most exposed to the discount-rate move, and a higher real yieldreal yield — The yield after subtracting expected inflation — what a lender actually earns in purchasing power. Real yield ≈ nominal yield − expected inflation. raises the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding gold.

Helps
banks/insurers (reinvestment)cashvalue over growth

Hurts
long-duration growth equitieslong-dated bondsgoldrate-sensitive REITs/utilities

Caveat: Granularity is daily, so a single-session jump can be noise; a sustained multi-session move is the real signal. Distinguish a growth-driven rise (risk-on) from a supply/term-premium rise (risk-off).

House-view hook — empty (textbook default; Stephen's view bakes in here).

What would change the read

Monetary easing (rate cut) The policy rate is on hold, so the easing channel is dormant. A cut would fire it — it matters because the first cut of a cycle typically broadens a rally and pressures the currency.
Monetary tightening (rate hike) The policy rate is steady, so the tightening channel is dormant. A hike would fire it — watch it because it hits long-duration growth, long bonds, and gold first.
Growth acceleration (expansionary PMI) Manufacturing isn't both expanding and accelerating, so the growth-acceleration channel is dormant. A rising PMI back above 50 would fire it — it matters because it's the signal to rotate from defensives toward cyclicals.

Japan

No active mechanism this week — the standing read above carries the bloc.

What would change the read

Inflation surprise (upside) Core inflation is steady, so the upside-surprise channel is quiet. It would fire on a core reading ≥0.2pp above the prior — watch it because that is what forces a central bank to stay restrictive and pressures the longest-duration assets first.
Inflation surprise (downside / disinflation) Core inflation isn't cooling fast enough to trigger the disinflation channel. A fall of ≥0.2pp would fire it — worth watching because it is the cleanest tailwind for long-duration growth and government bonds.
Monetary easing (rate cut) The policy rate is on hold, so the easing channel is dormant. A cut would fire it — it matters because the first cut of a cycle typically broadens a rally and pressures the currency.

The dataL3

United States

Indicator	Current	Prior	Δ	As of
CPI (YoY)	1.50	1.09	+0.41 ▲	2013-09-14
Core CPI	0.10	0.16	-0.06 ▬	2013-09-17
Core PCE	1.53	1.53	+0.00 ▬	2013-09-01
Policy rate	0.25	0.25	+0.00 ▬	2013-09-29
GDP	2.50	2.50	+0.00 ▬	2013-09-26
PMI (mfg)	55.70	55.40	+0.30 ▲	2013-09-03
PMI (svc)	58.60	56.00	+2.60 ▲	2013-09-05
Unemployment	7.30	7.20	+0.10 ▬	2013-09-06
10Y yield	2.64	2.66	-0.02 ▬	2013-09-27
2Y yield	0.34	0.34	+0.00 ▬	2013-09-27
2s10s slope	2.30	2.32	-0.02 ▬	2013-09-27
FX vs USD	n/a

China

Indicator	Current	Prior	Δ	As of
CPI (YoY)	2.60	2.70	-0.10 ▼	2013-09-09
Policy rate	n/a
GDP	7.50	7.70	-0.20 ▼	2013-07-15
PMI (mfg)	51.10	51.00	+0.10 ▬	2013-09-01
PMI (svc)	53.90	54.10	-0.20 ▬	2013-09-03
Unemployment	n/a
10Y yield	4.00	4.00	+0.00 ▬	2013-09-29
2Y yield	3.78	3.78	-0.00 ▬	2013-09-29
2s10s slope	0.22	0.22	+0.00 ▬	2013-09-29
FX vs USD	n/a

Euro area

Indicator	Current	Prior	Δ	As of
CPI (YoY)	1.30	1.30	+0.00 ▬	2013-09-16
Policy rate	0.50	0.50	+0.00 ▬	2013-09-05
GDP	0.10	-0.50	+0.60 ▲	2013-09-16
PMI (mfg)	51.10	51.40	-0.30 ▬	2013-09-23
PMI (svc)	52.10	50.70	+1.40 ▲	2013-09-23
Unemployment	12.10	12.10	+0.00 ▬	2013-08-30
10Y yield	3.41	3.10	+0.31 ▲	2013-09-01 ⚠⚠
FX vs USD	n/a

Japan

Indicator	Current	Prior	Δ	As of
CPI (YoY)	0.90	0.70	+0.20 ▲	2013-09-25
Core CPI	-0.10	-0.10	+0.00 ▬	2013-09-25
Policy rate	0.10	0.10	+0.00 ▬	2013-09-05
GDP	n/a
PMI (mfg)	n/a
Unemployment	4.10	3.80	+0.30 ▲	2013-09-29
10Y yield	0.67	0.71	-0.04 ▬	2013-09-01 ⚠⚠
FX vs USD	n/a

Concept libraryL3

Terms marked ✓ are linked inline above — click any dotted term in the text to expand it in place.

2s10s: The gap between the 10-year and 2-year government bond yields. Positive = normal upward-sloping curve; negative ('inverted') = a classic late-cycle/recession warning.
PMI ✓: Purchasing Managers' Index. Above 50 = the sector is expanding vs last month; below 50 = contracting. A timely read on activity.
carry trade: Borrowing in a low-rate currency (long the yen's case) to buy higher-yielding assets elsewhere. It unwinds violently when the funding rate rises or the funding currency strengthens.
credit impulse: The change in the flow of new credit into an economy. A rising impulse front-runs stronger demand for commodities and cyclical goods, with a lag.
cyclicals ✓: Sectors whose earnings rise and fall with the economic cycle — industrials, materials, energy, consumer discretionary.
defensives ✓: Sectors whose demand is steady through the cycle — consumer staples, utilities, healthcare. They outperform when growth slows.
discount rate ✓: The rate used to convert a future cash flow into today's value. A higher discount rate makes far-off cash flows worth less now.
disinflation: Inflation that is still positive but falling (prices rising more slowly) — distinct from deflation, where prices actually fall.
duration: How sensitive an asset's price is to interest rates. 'Long-duration' assets (long bonds, fast-growing stocks whose profits are years away) move most when rates change.
net interest margin: The spread a bank earns between what it charges on loans and pays on deposits. Higher short rates / steeper curves tend to widen it.
nominal yield: The headline interest rate on a bond, before subtracting inflation.
policy rate: The interest rate a central bank sets directly (e.g. the Fed funds rate, the ECB deposit rate, China's LPR). It anchors all other rates.
rate path: The market's expectation of where the policy rate goes over the next year or two — not just today's level, but the whole expected trajectory.
real yield ✓: The yield after subtracting expected inflation — what a lender actually earns in purchasing power. Real yield ≈ nominal yield − expected inflation.
term premium: The extra yield investors demand to hold a long bond instead of rolling short ones — compensation for tying money up and for issuance/inflation risk.