Macro Intelligence · Weekly · deep read

Macro Regime — 2014-W43

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↩ Home Macro index ← 2014-10 board

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

Standing macro backdropBORROWED

Borrowed from its month (2014-10); the weekly reads the standing object, it does not recompute the aggregate.

United States: expansion, at target
China: stall-speed, at target
Euro area: deflation watch
Japan: overheating / late-cycle

month aggregated actuals

United States

Indicator	Basis	2014-10	2014-09	Change
Core CPI	% MoM	0.17 2014-10-01	0.16 2014-09-01	→ 0.01
Core PCE	% YoY	1.47 2014-10-01	1.55 2014-09-01	→ -0.08
CPI (YoY)	% YoY	1.61 2014-10-01	1.68 2014-09-01	→ -0.07
FX vs USD	px	not recorded
GDP	% QoQ ann.	2 2014-10-01	—	—
PMI (mfg)	index	56.6 2014-10-01	59 2014-09-02	▼ -2.4
PMI (svc)	index	58.6 2014-10-03	59.6 2014-09-04	▼ -1
Policy rate	%	0.25 2014-10-31	0.25 2014-09-30	→ 0
2s10s slope	pp	1.85 2014-10-31	1.94 2014-09-30	▼ -0.09
Unemployment	%	5.7 2014-10-01	5.9 2014-09-01	▼ -0.2
10Y yield	%	2.35 2014-10-31	2.52 2014-09-30	▼ -0.17
2Y yield	%	0.5 2014-10-31	0.58 2014-09-30	▼ -0.08

China

Indicator	Basis	2014-10	2014-09	Change
CPI (YoY)	% YoY	1.6 2014-10-15	2 2014-09-11	▼ -0.4
FX vs USD	px	not recorded
GDP	% YoY	7.3 2014-10-21	—	—
PMI (mfg)	index	50.8 2014-10-01	51.1 2014-09-01	→ -0.3
PMI (svc)	index	54 2014-10-03	54.4 2014-09-03	▼ -0.4
Policy rate	% (1Y LPR)	5.76 2014-10-31	5.76 2014-09-30	→ 0
2s10s slope	pp	0.36 2014-10-31	0.17 2014-09-30	▲ 0.19
Unemployment	%	not recorded
10Y yield	%	3.76 2014-10-31	3.98 2014-09-30	▼ -0.23
2Y yield	%	3.4 2014-10-31	3.81 2014-09-30	▼ -0.41

Euro area

Indicator	Basis	2014-10	2014-09	Change
CPI (YoY)	% YoY	0.4 2014-10-31	0.3 2014-09-30	→ 0.1
FX vs USD	px	not recorded
GDP	% YoY	0.4 2014-10-16	0.1 2014-09-17	▲ 0.3
PMI (mfg)	index	50.7 2014-10-23	50.5 2014-09-23	→ 0.2
PMI (svc)	index	52.4 2014-10-23	52.8 2014-09-23	▼ -0.4
Policy rate	%	0.05 2014-10-02	0.05 2014-09-04	→ 0
Unemployment	%	11.5 2014-10-31	11.5 2014-09-30	→ 0
10Y yield	%	1.69 2014-10-01	1.85 2014-09-01	▼ -0.16

Japan

Indicator	Basis	2014-10	2014-09	Change
Core CPI	% YoY	2.3 2014-10-26	2.3 2014-09-25	→ 0
CPI (YoY)	% YoY	3.2 2014-10-26	3.3 2014-09-25	→ -0.1
FX vs USD	px	not recorded
GDP	% YoY	3.65 2014-10-01	—	—
PMI (mfg)		not recorded
Policy rate	%	0.1 2014-10-31	0.1 2014-09-04	→ 0
Unemployment	%	3.6 2014-10-30	3.5 2014-09-29	→ 0.1
10Y yield	%	0.47 2014-10-01	0.5 2014-09-01	→ -0.03

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.

○ no change

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

deflation watch

stall · deflation risk · on hold

Activity is soft and inflation is at/below zero — the risk is entrenched deflation. Favors duration (long bonds) and quality; cyclicals struggle until policy eases decisively. The catalyst to watch is stimulus / a policy cut.

● 1 active

Japan ⚠ stale

overheating / late-cycle

unknown · above target · on hold

Above-trend growth with above-target inflation. Late-cycle: cyclicals and inflation beneficiaries can still run, but the central bank is biased to tighten, so duration and high-multiple growth are exposed.

○ no change

Mechanisms & channelsL2

United States

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.

China

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

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.

Euro area

M5Growth acceleration (expansionary PMI)

Trigger: pmi_mfg: 50.3 → 50.7 (+0.4)

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

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 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).

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)	1.70	1.61	+0.09 ▬	2014-10-15
Core CPI	0.10	0.17	-0.07 ▬	2014-10-22
Core PCE	1.47	1.50	-0.03 ▬	2014-10-01
Policy rate	0.25	0.25	+0.00 ▬	2014-10-26
GDP	2.00	4.60	-2.60 ▼	2014-10-01
PMI (mfg)	56.60	59.00	-2.40 ▼	2014-10-01
PMI (svc)	58.60	59.60	-1.00 ▼	2014-10-03
Unemployment	5.90	5.70	+0.20 ▲	2014-10-03
10Y yield	2.29	2.29	+0.00 ▬	2014-10-24
2Y yield	0.41	0.41	+0.00 ▬	2014-10-24
2s10s slope	1.88	1.88	+0.00 ▬	2014-10-24
FX vs USD	n/a

China

Indicator	Current	Prior	Δ	As of
CPI (YoY)	1.60	2.00	-0.40 ▼	2014-10-15
Policy rate	5.76	5.76	+0.00 ▬	2014-10-24
GDP	7.30	7.50	-0.20 ▼	2014-10-21
PMI (mfg)	50.80	51.10	-0.30 ▼	2014-10-01
PMI (svc)	54.00	54.40	-0.40 ▼	2014-10-03
Unemployment	n/a
10Y yield	3.80	3.81	-0.01 ▬	2014-10-24
2Y yield	3.51	3.51	-0.00 ▬	2014-10-24
2s10s slope	0.29	0.30	-0.01 ▬	2014-10-24
FX vs USD	n/a

Euro area

Indicator	Current	Prior	Δ	As of
CPI (YoY)	0.30	0.30	+0.00 ▬	2014-10-16
Policy rate	0.05	0.05	+0.00 ▬	2014-10-02
GDP	0.40	0.10	+0.30 ▲	2014-10-16
PMI (mfg)	50.70	50.30	+0.40 ▲	2014-10-23
PMI (svc)	52.40	52.40	+0.00 ▬	2014-10-23
Unemployment	11.50	11.50	+0.00 ▬	2014-09-30
10Y yield	1.69	1.85	-0.16 ▼	2014-10-01 ⚠⚠
FX vs USD	n/a

Japan

Indicator	Current	Prior	Δ	As of
CPI (YoY)	3.20	3.30	-0.10 ▬	2014-10-26
Core CPI	2.30	2.30	+0.00 ▬	2014-10-26
Policy rate	0.10	0.10	+0.00 ▬	2014-10-07
GDP	n/a
PMI (mfg)	n/a
Unemployment	3.50	3.70	-0.20 ▼	2014-09-29
10Y yield	0.47	0.50	-0.03 ▬	2014-10-01 ⚠⚠
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.