Is the Bull Run Over?—Darius Dale on Macro Shocks & Market Tops

Darius Dale, 42 Macro Founder & CEO, recently joined InvestAnswers to break down the recent market volatility, the risks of macro shocks, and how investors should be thinking about the current market cycle. If you missed the podcast, here are three key takeaways that have huge implications for your portfolio:

1) Markets Are at a Tipping Point—Liquidity Holds the Key

While recent volatility has spooked investors, the bigger question is whether liquidity will continue to rise or start contracting. If liquidity expands, markets can push higher. If it stalls or reverses, risk assets could face severe pressure. Investors should watch the BOJ closely for the latest clues on liquidity amid the developing US growth scare. The sharp selloff in early-August is a preview of what may be in store for investors.

Key Takeaway:
Liquidity is the key driver—watch for shifts in fiscal policy, the FED’s [needed] countercyclical response, and global monetary policy to gauge where markets go next.

2) Tariffs, Policy Uncertainty, and Inflation Are the Big Unknowns

The Trump administration’s tariff plans and rapidly shifting policy stance could disrupt supply chains and push inflation higher before any pro-growth measures take effect. The Fed may be forced to delay an appropriate policy response due to sticky inflation, keeping rates higher for longer and creating liquidity pressures.

Key Takeaway:
Markets are grappling with uncertainty—investors must stay aware of how policy shifts could perpetuate a stagflationary shock.

3) AI & Macro Trends Will Reshape the Investment Landscape

Darius warns that AI-driven job displacement and structural fiscal challenges could accelerate The Fourth Turning. That outcome risks increasing economic and financial market volatility, while also supporting secular bull markets in assets like Bitcoin, Gold, and AI-driven equities.

Key Takeaway:
Positioning for the future means embracing AI, Gold, Bitcoin, and sound risk management as the macro landscape rapidly evolves.

Final Thought: Navigating a Shifting Macro Landscape

Liquidity will likely rise through mid-2025, but it may not rise fast enough to offset the rapidly accelerating global debt refinancing cycle. Key structural risks—fiscal imbalances, inflation pressures, and geopolitical shifts—remain. Investors must be proactive in managing risk and adapting to an increasingly unpredictable macro environment.

If you are not confident your portfolio is positioned correctly for the evolving macro landscape , partner with 42 Macro’s data-driven insights and risk management overlays—KISS and Dr. Mo—processes to help you stay on the right side of market risk.

THE MACRO CLASS

No catch—just real insights to help you stay ahead in the #Team42 community.

Best of luck out there,

— Team 42

Dale: U.S. Growth Slowing Due To Policy Uncertainty

Darius Dale, Founder & CEO of 42 Macro, recently joined Nicole Petallides on Schwab Network to break down market volatility, the resilience of the U.S. economy, and how investors should be thinking about liquidity, policy uncertainty, and positioning. In case you missed the appearance, here are three key takeaways that could shape your portfolio strategy:

1) Liquidity is Likely To Rescue Markets

Despite concerns over short-term volatility, Darius sees a general uptrend in asset markets driven by accelerating liquidity—both globally and within the U.S. As the Treasury General Account (TGA) declines and net debt issuance is restrained, liquidity conditions should remain supportive for risk assets. With the Fed likely ending the Treasury portion of its balance sheet runoff in the next one to two quarters, markets could see even more relief from liquidity tailwinds.

2) Policy Uncertainty Is Slowing Growth, But Not Breaking the Economy

While corporate confidence remains high due to expectations of business-friendly policies, the data shows a real slowdown in U.S. economic growth. Elevated policy uncertainty—at levels seen only during the Global Financial Crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic—is causing businesses and consumers to hesitate on investment decisions. However, Darius does not see this leading to a recession but warns that prolonged uncertainty could trigger renewed hard-landing fears that weigh on markets.

3) Clarity On Bad Policies + Uncertainty Regarding Good Policies = Risk Assets Struggle

Darius revisits his Triple S Framework—Size, Sequence, and Scope—to assess Trump’s potential economic policies, again, emphasizing that sequence is the critical risk factor. If restrictive measures like tariffs and immigration control are implemented first, they could tighten the labor market, drive up wages, and fuel inflationary pressures. Conversely, if pro-growth policies such as tax cuts and deregulation come later, they may help offset these effects. Ultimately, the market’s reaction will depend on the order in which these policies unfold.

Final Thought: Risk On For Now, But Stay Nimble

Despite policy-driven risks, the current market regime remains risk-on, favoring a buy-the-dip strategy in higher beta and cyclical assets. Emerging markets and international equities have outperformed recently, and relative economic trends suggest that outperformance could continue. But with historic policy uncertainty clouding the road ahead, investors should remain adaptable.

If you are not confident your portfolio is positioned correctly for the evolving macro landscape , partner with 42 Macro’s data-driven insights and risk management processes to help you stay on the right side of market risk.

THE MACRO CLASS

No catch—just real insights to help you stay ahead in the #Team42 community.

Best of luck out there,

— Team 42

Is The Fed Fighting A Losing Battle Against Inflation?

Darius recently joined Charles Payne on Fox Business to discuss why the Fed’s inflation fight is failing, the limits of traditional economic indicators, and how Trump’s potential policies could impact markets. If you missed the appearance, Here are three key takeaways that could significantly impact your portfolio:

1) The Fed’s 2% Inflation Target is Unattainable

Darius has been warning since January 2022 that the U.S. economy’s equilibrium inflation rate is in the high 2% to low 3% range, making the Fed’s 2% target unrealistic. Despite recent disinflationary trends, inflation remains sticky, and the latest data reinforces the idea that the Fed won’t get back to 2% without causing serious economic damage. Rather than continuing its restrictive policy, the Fed should revise its target higher and adjust accordingly.

2) Traditional Economic Indicators Are Outdated

Darius argues that widely used indicators like the Leading Economic Index (LEI) are outdated and less relevant in today’s economy. Decades ago, manufacturing made up 30% of GDP and 50% of employment—today, it is only 10% of GDP and 14% of jobs. This structural shift means that many recession indicators don’t capture the strength of the modern economy, which remains resilient due to fiscal stimulus and liquidity dynamics.

3) Trump’s Policy Agenda Could Trigger Inflationary or Deflationary Shocks—Depending on Its Sequence

Darius outlines his Triple S framework—Size, Sequence, and Scope—to evaluate Trump’s potential economic policies. The biggest risk? Sequence. If tariffs and immigration restrictions are implemented first, they could disrupt supply chains, tighten the labor market, and push inflation higher before pro-growth policies like tax cuts and deregulation take effect. The market impact depends on how these policies are rolled out and whether the positives outweigh the negatives.

Final Thought:

Liquidity is likely to trend higher through mid-2025, which is supportive for asset markets. That said, policy-driven inflation risks and potential Fed missteps remain key threats. Investors would be remiss to rely exclusively on fundamental predictions amid a historically wide distribution of probable economic and policy outcomes.

If your risk management signals are not keeping you on the right side of market risk, parter with 42 Macro and join the thousands of investors benefiting from our KISS Portfolio Construction Process and our Discretionary Risk Management Overlay, also know as “Dr. Mo”.

THE MACRO CLASS

No catch—just real insights to help you stay ahead in the #Team42 community.

Best of luck out there,

— Team 42

Darius Dale on MacroVoices: Investing Amid The Changing World Order

Darius recently sat down with Erik Townsend on MacroVoices for a wide-ranging discussion covering inflation, fiscal dominance, and the impact of the Fourth Turning on financial markets. If you missed the interview, here are three key takeaways that could significantly impact your portfolio:

1) Inflation Is Not Going Back to 2%—And the Fed’s Response Will Be Crucial

Darius argues that inflation is structurally higher in this economic cycle and unlikely to return to the Fed’s 2% target without a full-blown recession. His research shows that inflation is the most lagging economic indicator, typically breaking down only 12-15 months after a recession starts—which is not currently in sight. Instead, inflation is likely to reaccelerate in 2025, driven by tight housing supply, faster credit growth, slowing labor supply, and increased pressure on corporate margins.

Key Takeaway:

The Fed faces a tough decision: stick to its 2% target and risk market turmoil or adjust expectations and let inflation and monetary policy run hotter. The market’s long-term trajectory depends on how policymakers navigate this tension.

2) The Fourth Turning Is Reshaping Fiscal and Monetary Policy

Darius highlights that we are deep into a Fourth Turning, a period of structural great institutional and geopolitical change. Historically, Fourth Turnings bring explosive sovereign debt growth, increased fiscal dominance, and rising inflation, requiring financial repression and monetary debasement to manage oppressive public debt burdens. With deficits spiraling and entitlement spending and net interest growing at a +15% CAGR, fiscal policy is unsustainable and risks a breakdown of the current world order in which the U.S. Treasury sits atop the the global capital structure.

Key Takeaway:

Investors must prepare for an era where monetary easing and inflation become structural tools to manage debt, fundamentally altering portfolio strategies. Holding assets that benefit from financial repression—like equities, gold, and Bitcoin—will be important.

3) Market Regime Shifts Will Drive Investment Success

Rather than making long-term macro predictions, Darius emphasizes trend-following and market regime nowcasting as the best way to stay on the right side of market risk. His 42 Macro Risk Matrix tracks growth, inflation, monetary, and fiscal policy shifts in real-time, helping investors adapt as macro conditions evolve. The biggest risk today? A potential mispricing in bonds and the possibility of term premiums normalizing, pushing yields higher.

Key Takeaway:

Investors need a dynamic framework to manage risk in a fast-changing macro landscape. Relying on old models like 60/40 portfolios won’t cut it—market regime awareness is key to navigating volatility and seizing opportunities.

Final Thought:

The themes discussed—sticky inflation, fiscal dominance, and market regime shifts—all point to a period of profound macroeconomic change. Investors who fail to adapt risk being caught off guard by rising volatility and policy shifts. To stay ahead, it’s essential to incorporate real-time macro tracking and flexible positioning strategies in portfolio management.

Since our bullish pivot in January 2023, the QQQs have surged 82% and Bitcoin is up +293%.

If you have missed part—or all—of this market, it is time to explore how our KISS Portfolio Construction Process or Discretionary Risk Management Overlay aka “Dr. Mo” will keep your portfolio on the right side of market risk going forward.

Thousands of investors around the world confidently make smarter investment decisions using our clear, accurate, and affordable signals—and as a result, they make more money.

Thousands of investors around the world use 42 Macro to confidently navigate market shifts and optimize their portfolios. If you’re ready to incorporate macro into your investment process and stay ahead of these monumental changes, we invite you to watch our complimentary 3-part Macro Masterclass.

The Macro Class

No catch—just real insights to help you stay ahead in the #Team42 community.

Best of luck out there,

— Team 42

Market Liquidity, 0DTE Options, and the New Volatility Paradigm

Darius recently sat down with Brent Kochuba of SpotGamma for a fascinating discussion on how options-driven leverage, zero-day options (0DTE), and shifting market structure are reshaping investment opportunities. If you missed it, here are the three most important takeaways that could significantly impact your portfolio:

1) Short-Term Leverage Is Driving Market Volatility—But It’s Not Changing the Trend

The explosion of 0DTE options and leveraged derivatives trading has created frequent, extreme price dislocations in individual stocks and the broader market. Brent explains how these short-term trading flows cause sharp intraday swings, leading investors to misinterpret market reactions to news events like CPI reports or earnings releases. However, while these distortions can be dramatic, they rarely change the medium-to-long-term market trend—meaning that many investors are getting shaken out of positions unnecessarily.

Key Takeaway:

Don’t overreact to short-term volatility. While markets may experience more frequent and violent moves due to the explosive growth of options activity, the underlying trend remains the dominant force. Investors who focus too much on short-term swings risk missing out on durable market trends.

2) Volatility Is Cheap—But That Presents Opportunities

Despite recent market swings, implied volatility remains historically low, signaling that investors are not properly hedging against risks. Brent highlights how right-tail risks (markets moving much higher) are currently underpriced, making call options a compelling opportunity. On the flip side, selective put spreads can offer inexpensive downside protection for investors looking to hedge without taking on too much drag.

Key Takeaway:

With volatility low, this is an ideal time to consider hedging strategies or capitalizing on underpriced upside exposure. Call options on key indices and AI-driven names may provide attractive asymmetric returns, while put spreads allow for cheap downside protection.

3) AI, Passive Flows, and ETF Growth Are Creating Liquidity Holes

Market liquidity is shrinking as passive flows, corporate buybacks, and structured products absorb more of the tradable float in major stocks. This means that even mega-cap names like NVIDIA can experience massive, seemingly irrational price moves (e.g., its recent $500 billion single-day market cap loss). These liquidity gaps are amplifying the impact of leveraged derivatives trades, creating both risks and opportunities for investors.

Key Takeaway:

Investors should be aware that liquidity holes are becoming more common, leading to sharp, unexpected market moves. Understanding how options-driven leverage interacts with ETF flows and passive investing is key to avoiding getting caught on the wrong side of a move—or capitalizing on mispricings when they occur.

Final Thought: The Time to Act Is Now

Markets are evolving rapidly, with AI, derivatives trading, and liquidity trends playing an increasingly dominant role. As these forces reshape market behavior, traditional risk management strategies are becoming less effective. Investors need adaptive tools—like our KISS Portfolio Construction Process and Discretionary Risk Management Overlay (Dr. Mo)—to stay ahead of these changes and profit from the volatility rather than being caught off guard by it.

Since our bullish pivot in January 2023, the QQQs have surged 90% and Bitcoin is up +316%.

Thousands of investors around the world confidently make smarter investment decisions using our clear, accurate, and affordable signals—and as a result, they make more money.

The Macro Class

The Five-Year Countdown: How AI Will Dramatically Reshape The Economy And Asset Markets

Darius recently sat down with Raoul Pal of Real Vision for an enlightening conversation about the accelerating impact of AI, the exponential age, and what investors must do now to stay ahead. If you missed it, here are the three most important takeaways that could significantly impact your portfolio:

1) The Next Five Years Will Change Everything—Faster Than Expected

Raoul Pal’s “Exponential Age” thesis is happening at an even greater speed than anticipated. With AI advancing at an exponential rate—expected to surpass human intelligence within the next year—the way we work, invest, and interact with markets will fundamentally shift. AI will replace entire job sectors, disrupt business models, and introduce extreme efficiency into capital formation. Investors need to understand that the old rules of economic cycles and the age-old labor vs. capital debate are being rewritten in real-time.

Key Takeaway:

The next five years are crucial—investors who don’t adapt will be left behind. This is the window to build financial security and position portfolios for the seismic shifts ahead.

2) AI and Automation Will Reshape Market Structure

Financial markets will undergo a transformation as AI-powered investment strategies begin to dominate. The firms with the most advanced AI will gain an enormous edge, potentially absorbing vast amounts of market share and capital. At the same time, markets will become both hyper-efficient over the short-to-medium term and hyper-inefficient over the long-term—creating opportunities for those who can navigate the chaos.

Key Takeaway:

The traditional diversification approach (e.g., 60/40 portfolios) will likely underperform. Instead, investors should focus on secular trends such as AI, blockchain, and exponential technologies—these will be the defining investment themes of the coming decade.

3) The Key Risk Is Not Being Over or Under Invested—It’s Being In The Wrong Assets

One of the biggest mistakes investors make is under-allocating to exponential assets. Traditional portfolio management focuses on diversification across asset classes, sectors, and factors, but in this new era, the most successful investors will be those who hyper-concentrate in the right areas. Crypto, AI-focused equities, and cutting-edge technology plays offer the best asymmetric upside.

Key Takeaway:

Investors need to be positioned in exponential assets. Staying on the right side of market risk during the “exponential age” increasingly requires a risk management framework that adapts to rapid change, like our KISS Portfolio Construction Process and Dr. Mo (Discretionary Risk Management Overlay). The size, scope, and rapid pace of change in the economy and asset markets means investors relying on legacy frameworks will struggle—especially as the share of trading activity generated by AI accelerates. Trend following is the best solution to ensure you are participating alongside the supercomputers, not fighting them.

Final Thought: The Time to Act Is Now

If you believe the world will look drastically different in five years, your portfolio should reflect that. The biggest macro opportunity in history is unfolding—don’t get left behind.

Since our bullish pivot in January 2023, the QQQs have surged 86% and Bitcoin is up +316%.

Thousands of investors around the world confidently make smarter investment decisions using our clear, accurate, and affordable signals—and as a result, they make more money.

Thousands of investors around the world use 42 Macro to confidently navigate market shifts and optimize their portfolios. If you’re ready to incorporate macro into your investment process and stay ahead of these monumental changes, we invite you to watch our complimentary 3-part Macro Masterclass.

The Macro Class

No catch—just real insights to help you stay ahead in the #Team42 community.
Best of luck out there,

— Team 42

How Will Trumponomics 2.0 Impact Investor Portfolios?

Darius recently joined Charles Payne on Fox Business to discuss the potential impact of President Trump’s economic agenda on asset markets, the importance of observing the market rather than predicting it, and more.

If you missed the interview, here are the three most important takeaways fromthe conversation that have implications for your portfolio:

1) How Will President Trump’s Economic Policies Broadly Impact Markets in 2025?

When assessing the impact of President Trump’s economic agenda, both positive and negative effects on the economy and asset markets are likely.

Specifically, factors such as tariffs, securing the border, and a hawkish shift in Treasury net financing (i.e., less bills + more coupons) are likely to contribute negative supply shocks to the economy and asset markets. Conversely, tax cuts, deregulation, and accelerated energy production could generate positive supply shocks.

Investors should closely monitor the size, sequence, and scope of these policy changes, as they will play a crucial role in shaping asset markets throughout 2025.

2) What is The Likely Impact of Tariffs on Asset Markets?

Although many Wall Street investors cite the Smoot-Hawley example when discussing tariffs, we believe anchoring on that scenario is misguided. The real impact lies in the currency market. China is likely to respond to fresh tariffs by significantly devaluing the yuan, which carries profound implications for global asset markets. Historically, when China devalues the yuan, other major economies follow suit with sympathy devaluations to maintain competitiveness, resulting in a much stronger U.S. dollar.

If a similar pattern emerges in 2025, this would likely lead to a reduction in global liquidity, which is problematic for asset markets in the context of the global refinancing air pocket that may develop later this year.

3) Should Investors Focus On Observing The Market Rather Than Predicting It?

In short, yes. Our number one piece of advice for every investor is: Listen to what the market is telling you. Because asset markets trend far more frequently than they experience changes in trend, it is always best to align your portfolio with what the market is trying to price in, not against it. The trend is your friend.
Whether we are in an inflationary or deflationary environment, the most consistently successful strategy across all market conditions is trend following.

To successfully remain on the right side of market risk, investors must rely on signals from proven risk management systems (e.g., KISS and Dr. Mo) far more than their gut feel, emotions, or understanding of company or economy fundamentals.

Since our bullish pivot in January 2023, the QQQs have surged 81% and Bitcoin is up +328%.

If you have fallen victim to bear porn and missed part—or all—of this rally, it is time to explore how our KISS Portfolio Construction Process or Discretionary Risk Management Overlay aka “Dr. Mo” will keep your portfolio on the right side of market risk going forward.

Thousands of investors around the world confidently make smarter investment decisions using our clear, accurate, and affordable signals—and as a result, they make more money.

If you are ready to learn more about how our clients incorporate macro into their investment process and how you can do the same, we invite you to watch our complimentary 3-part macro masterclass.

No catch, just macro insights to help you grow your portfolio—our way of saying thanks for being part of our global #Team42 community of thoughtful investors.

Best of luck out there,
— Team 42

Will Risk Assets Crash In 2025 Like They Did In 1998?

Darius recently joined Adam Taggart to discuss the likelihood of significant deficit reduction during President Trump’s administration, a potential global refinancing air pocket, and more.
If you missed the interview, here are the two most important takeaways from the conversation that have significant implications for your portfolio:

How Likely Is A Significant Reduction Of The Federal Budget Deficit Amid DOGE And Tax Cuts?

Although we believe DOGE is likely to achieve meaningful fiscal expenditure reduction, our analysis of U.S. federal budget dynamics highlights significant challenges to achieving meaningful deficit reduction. Cutting spending ≠ cutting the deficit, once extending and expanding the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) are accounted for.

Our research indicates that approximately 61% of the federal budget is effectively untouchable. This includes FFTT’s “True Interest Expense” metric, which comprises Medicare, National Defense, Net Interest, and Social Security. Collectively, these expenditures represent programs that are unlikely to face cuts amid the current populist political climate and are compounding at a rate of +13% per year. The remaining 39% of the budget has already been shrinking at a compound rate of -12% per year over the past three years.

Given these dynamics, we believe meaningful deficit reduction appears improbable without tackling politically protected categories.

Is A Global Refinancing Air Pocket On The Horizon?

At 42 Macro, we conducted a deep-dive empirical study on the global refinancing cycle and found it to be correlated with the global liquidity cycle. Currently, the lagged growth rate of global non-financial sector debt is accelerating sharply, and our models project this trend to continue through late 2025.

While conventional wisdom suggests this is likely to catalyze an increase in global liquidity, the risk remains that liquidity may fail to expand meaningfully, thus creating a global refinancing air pocket, similar to the divergences observed in 2008-09, 2011, 2015-16, 2018, and 2022, where the S&P 500 declined between 15% and 57%.

If global liquidity fails to follow the path of the year-over-year growth rate of world total non-financial sector debt, we believe it is likely to lead to severe disruptions—or even a meltdown—in global financial markets. However, we ultimately expect the dip will be bought because investors will finally find attractive valuations to bet on the AI supercycle amid tax cuts and deregulation. 1998 is a good analogy for how we are approaching financial market risk in 2025.

Since our bullish pivot in November 2023, the QQQs have surged 44% and Bitcoin is up +201%.

Thousands of investors around the world confidently make smarter investment decisions using our clear, accurate, and affordable signals—and as a result, they make more money.

If you are ready to learn more about how our clients incorporate macro into their investment process and how you can do the same, we invite you to watch our complimentary 3-part macro masterclass.

No catch, just high-quality insights to help you grow your portfolio—our way of saying thanks for being part of our global #Team42 community of thoughtful investors.

Conditions Are In Place For Market Crash In 2025

Darius recently joined David Lin to discuss the impact of tariffs, the outlook for inflation, the role of gold in our KISS Portfolio Construction Process, and more.

If you missed the interview, here are the three most important takeaways from the conversation that have significant implications for your portfolio:

1. How Are Tariffs Likely To Impact Asset Markets In 2025?

We believe China is likely to respond to tariffs by significantly devaluing the yuan, which carries profound implications for global asset markets. Historically, when China devalues the yuan, other major economies follow suit with sympathy devaluations to maintain competitiveness. During the 2018-2019 trade war, this dynamic led to broad-based declines in the euro, Japanese yen, British pound, and Swiss franc—on top of the yuan’s depreciation—resulting in a materially stronger U.S. dollar.

If a similar pattern emerges in 2025, we could see a sharp appreciation of the U.S. dollar in the second half of the year, potentially reinforced by a less hawkish Federal Reserve. This would likely lead to higher interest rates, rising bond market volatility, elevated currency market volatility, and a stronger U.S. dollar – all of which are headwinds for global liquidity.

Given the historic scale of global refinancing needs in 2025, we believe any liquidity contraction is likely to trigger a severe market correction – and potentially even a full-scale crash.

2. What Is The Outlook For Inflation?

According to our GRID Model projections for Headline CPI and the econometric study of all the postwar economic cycles in and around recession we conducted, we believe US inflation is unlikely to return durably to trend in the absence of a recession, which implies the highest probability outcome is inflation firming over the medium term against easing base effects.

Leading indicators of inflation also support our hawkish NTM inflation outlook. Core PPI, a reliable leading indicator for inflation in this business cycle, began breaking down approximately 18 months before Core CPI and Core PCE. Core PPI bottomed in December 2023 and has been trending higher since.

Moreover, Core CPI and Core PCE deflator appear to be stabilizing at an above-trend level. These metrics may accelerate in 2025 before resuming the longer-term downtrend, and the key risk is that consensus expects inflation to keep falling, and a rebound in inflation—however modest—could force markets to price out additional Fed rate cuts for 2025 and 2026.

3. Why Did We Replace Core Fixed-Income Exposure with Gold in Our KISS Portfolio?

We incorporate gold into the portfolio to enhance diversification by reducing overall beta and introducing non-correlated asset classes, which helps mitigate drawdowns and volatility while also providing exposure to Fourth Turning monetary policy dynamics. Gold serves as a low-beta asset, with a trailing six-month beta of approximately 0.3 to the S&P 500.

Moreover, the addition of gold to KISS reflects our understanding that if our Investing During A Fourth Turning Regime analysis proves true over the long term and the Fed is forced to accelerate financial repression and monetary debasement, it is highly unlikely that bonds will outperform other assets on a real, risk-adjusted basis.

We expect monetary debasement and financial repression to be tools that the Fed employs to address the challenges of excessive sovereign debt and a robust economy that leaves little incentive for buyers of government bonds, and we believe gold will prove to be a far better hedge against accelerated monetary debasement and financial repression than bonds.

Since our bullish pivot in November 2023, the QQQs have surged 44% and Bitcoin is up +201%.

Thousands of investors around the world confidently make smarter investment decisions using our clear, accurate, and affordable signals—and as a result, they make more money.

If you are ready to learn more about how our clients incorporate macro into their investment process and how you can do the same, we invite you to watch our complimentary 3-part macro masterclass.

No catch, just high-quality insights to help you grow your portfolio—our way of saying thanks for being part of our global #Team42 community of thoughtful investors.

What Are The Key Risks To Asset Markets In 2025?

Darius recently joined Maggie Lake to break down the key risks to asset markets in 2025, the outlook for inflation, investor positioning insights from the 42 Macro Positioning Model, and more.

If you missed the interview, here are the three most important takeaways from the conversation that have significant implications for your portfolio:

1. What Are The Key Risks To Asset Markets In 2025?

We believe 2025 will be a year in which the distribution of probable economic outcomes is both wide and widening. This is largely driven by an anticipated series of significant changes to fiscal and regulatory policy.

Specifically, factors such as tariffs, securing the border, and a hawkish shift in Treasury net financing (i.e., less bills + more coupons) are likely to contribute negative supply shocks to the economy and asset markets. At the same time, tax cuts, deregulation, and accelerated energy production could generate positive supply-side shocks.

Investors should closely monitor the size, sequence, and scope of these policy changes, as they will have a significant impact on asset markets throughout 2025. If enough of the left-tail risk economic scenarios materialize, we believe it is likely to lead to a crash in risk assets.

2. What Is The Outlook For Inflation?

At 42 Macro, we conducted an econometric study of all the postwar economic cycles in and around recession. That process consisted of normalizing the policy, profits, liquidity, growth, stocks, employment, credit, and inflation cycles, and comparing current trends to historical patterns late in the business cycle, leading into, and through a recession.

In that study, we found that inflation is the most lagging indicator of the business cycle, as it usually breaks down below trend 12 to 15 months after a recession starts.

According to our GRID Model projections for Headline CPI and the deep dive study referenced above, US inflation is unlikely to return durably to trend in the absence of a recession, which implies the highest probability outcome is inflation firming over the medium term against easing base effects. Per our GRID Model, late-Q2/early-Q3 is when inflation is likely to accelerate appreciably enough to cause serious problems in asset markets.

3. What Does The 42 Macro Positioning Model Reveal About Current Risks To Asset Markets?

Our 42 Macro Positioning Model analyzes 15 long-term time series, comparing their current levels to the median values observed at major bull market peaks and troughs.

Currently, many of the time series we track are breaching levels that have consistently been observed at major bull market peaks:

AAII stock allocation exceeds the median value observed at major bull market peaks in the nine market cycles since Jan-98.
AAII bond allocation is nearing the low level typically observed at major bull market peaks.
AAII cash allocation is below the median value observed at major bull market peaks.
S&P 500 realized volatility—an inverse proxy for systematic fund exposure—is nearing the level seen at prior bull market peaks.
S&P 500 implied volatility correlations—an inverse proxy for market-neutral hedge fund exposure—is below the median value seen at prior bull market peaks.
S&P 500 price/NTM EPS ratio sits in the 92nd percentile of all historical data, dating back to the late 1980s, and is well above the median value observed at major bull market peaks.
Investment-grade credit spreads are in the 2nd percentile of all historical data, also dating back to the late 1980s, and are well below the median value observed at major bull market peaks.

These metrics collectively signal a positioning cycle that is highly asymmetric, with participants who are bullish and are heavily betting on positive outcomes across growth, inflation, policy, and liquidity.

As previously stated, if enough of the left-tail risk economic scenarios materialize in succession, combined with the extreme bullish condition we currently observe in the positioning cycle, we believe it is likely to lead to a crash in risk assets.

Since our bullish pivot in November 2023, the QQQs have surged 42% and Bitcoin is up +185%.

Thousands of investors around the world confidently make smarter investment decisions using our clear, accurate, and affordable signals—and as a result, they make more money.

If you are ready to learn more about how our clients incorporate macro into their investment process and how you can do the same, we invite you to watch our complimentary 3-part macro masterclass.

No catch, just high-quality insights to help you grow your portfolio—our way of saying thanks for being part of our global #Team42 community of thoughtful investors.