Finance Analyst Report: 2026-05-18 06:00:10 ET
Signal Alignment
SPY Direction: SPY 0.0% (3d) | Alignment: 60% (3 aligned, 2 divergent) Status: MIXED — Mixed — no clear signal consensus
| Category | Signal Says | vs SPY | Key Driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dark Pool | ⚪ NEUTRAL | — | DIX 0.459 moderate |
| Gamma | 🟢 BULLISH | ✓ ALIGNED | GEX +18.2B strong suppression |
| Credit | 🟢 BULLISH | ✓ ALIGNED | HY OAS 2.76% benign, NFCI -0.524 loose |
| Breadth | ⚪ NEUTRAL | — | Breadth 45% — mixed participation |
| Energy | 🔴 BEARISH | ✗ DIVERGENT | Energy SHOCK — oil shock creates stagflation risk |
| growth_expectations | ⚪ NEUTRAL | — | Copper/Gold +10.6% growth optimism · real yield 2.00% firm |
| Correlations | 🔴 BEARISH | ✗ DIVERGENT | SPY/Oil -0.70 — oil shock transmitting directly into equity pricing |
| Volatility | ⚪ NEUTRAL | — | VIX 18.4 sub-20 in contango · SKEW 146 firm · VVIX/VIX 5.04 dealer stress |
| Inflation | ⚪ NEUTRAL | — | Stagflation score 42 — moderate, watching |
| carry_risk | 🟢 BULLISH | ✓ ALIGNED | USD/JPY 5d +1.0% stable, MOVE 80 calm |
| Liquidity | ⚪ NEUTRAL | — | Liquidity Adequate |
Divergence read: Signals are mixed with no strong directional consensus against price.
Market Status
Regime: CAUTIOUS | Score: 71/100 (Favorable, with caution) | Score reads 71 (Favorable) but regime is CAUTIOUS — breadth at 45% and energy regime SHOCK keeps full risk-on classification at bay.
Leading indicators show energy SHOCK (WTI at $101, watch for margin compression); DIX stable at 0.459; GEX positive at 18.2B (vol-suppressing). Lagging confirmation: VIX at 18.4 (low-fear environment); sentiment reads Bullish; seasonal pattern historically neutral.
- Sentiment: Bullish (Score: 0.2)
What Changed
- No signal changes detected.
Key Levels
- SPY: $737.34 | 50 SMA $690.04 | 200 SMA $676.07 | +0.1% from 50d | ZGL $730.95
- QQQ: $706.32 | 50 SMA $631.46 | 200 SMA $610.95 | +0.1% from 50d | ZGL $698.9
- IWM: $276.82 | 50 SMA $263.83 | 200 SMA $251.05 | +0.0% from 50d | ZGL $253.0
- VIX: 18.43 — sub-20 (low vol)
- 10Y Yield: 4.595%
Equity & Derivatives Board
| Ticker | Price | RSI(14) | IVR | ZGL | γ-Sent | PCR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPY | $737.34 | 69.61 | 37.4 | $730.95 | Neutral | 1.36 |
| QQQ | $706.32 | 73.26 | 59.9 | $698.90 | Neutral | 1.29 |
| IWM | $276.82 | 50.55 | 49.0 | $253.00 | Bearish | 3.43 |
Macro Board
| Ticker | Price | RSI(14) | IVR | ZGL | γ-Sent | PCR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VIX | 18.43 | 52.20 | 18.5 | $10.50 | Neutral | 0.71 |
| TNX | 45.95 | 71.06 | 61.5 | - | - | - |
| GLD | $417.00 | 40.30 | 27.8 | $422.75 | Bearish | 1.55 |
| DXY | 99.27 | 59.38 | 34.5 | - | - | - |
| SLV | $68.76 | 51.07 | 30.4 | $49.00 | Neutral | 1.18 |
Dark Pool Activity
- DIX (Dark Index): 0.459
- DIX Signal: Moderate buying
- GEX (Gamma Exposure): 18.16B
Credit Conditions
- HY OAS Spread: 2.76% (Normal)
- BBB Spread: 0.95%
- 2s10s Spread: 0.50% (Healthy slope)
Market Breadth
- Stocks Above 50-Day SMA: 44.8%
- Stocks Above 200-Day SMA: 52.7%
- Breadth Signal: Moderately Bullish
- Total Stocks Analyzed: 500
- Mag 7 Concentration: 33.0%
- Top 10 Concentration: 43.9%
Sector Breadth
| Sector | % > 50d SMA | Stocks |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 89.5% | 17/19 |
| Real Estate | 67.9% | 19/28 |
| Technology | 66.2% | 43/65 |
| Financials | 52.9% | 36/68 |
| Communication Services | 50.0% | 10/20 |
| Consumer Staples | 47.1% | 16/34 |
| Industrials | 44.8% | 30/67 |
| Materials | 41.7% | 10/24 |
| Health Care | 25.9% | 14/54 |
| Consumer Discretionary | 22.0% | 13/59 |
| Utilities | 6.7% | 2/30 |
Energy & Commodities
- Energy Regime: SHOCK
- WTI Crude: $101.02 (5d: +3.0%)
- Brent Crude: $109.26 | Spread: $8.24
- RBOB Gasoline: $3.5600/gal
- Heating Oil: $3.9200/gal
- 3-2-1 Crack Spread: $53.54/bbl (Very wide)
- XLE (Energy Sector): $59.44
- UNG (Nat Gas): $11.33
Correlations
| Pair | 20d Corr | Signal |
|---|---|---|
| SPY / VIX | -0.66 | elevated |
| SPY / DXY | -0.708 | stretched |
| SPY / TNX | 0.331 | normal |
| SPY / Oil | -0.704 | stretched |
Volatility & Options
- Volatility Regime: Contango (Normal)
- MOVE Index (Bond Vol): 79.87
- VIX/MOVE Ratio: 0.23 (Normal Relationship)
- 0DTE Call Volume: 0.0
- 0DTE Put Volume: 0.0
- 0DTE Put/Call Ratio: 0.91 (No 0DTE Expiry Today)
- 0DTE Notional Dollar Volume: $552.2B
- Gamma Call Wall: $750 | Put Wall: $730 (Spot: $737.34)
CTA Trend Stack
- SMA Stack Score: 4/4 above
- Position: Above all 4 SMAs (full-stack long)
Positioning & Sentiment
- CFTC E-mini Specs Net: -143,835 contracts (Z -0.18, as of 2026-05-12)
- AAII Bull-Bear Spread: +2.7% (as of 2026-05-13)
- Squeeze Setup: none (0/4 triggers · no triggers active)
Macro Fundamentals
- 10Y Yield: 4.60%
- Yield Curve (10Y-3M): 1.01 (Normal)
- DXY: 99.27
- Growth vs Value: 0.96
- Fed Funds Rate: N/A | Next FOMC: 2026-06-10
- Rate Probabilities: Hold None | Cut None
Inflation Expectations
- 5Y Breakeven: 2.70% (Above Target)
- 10Y Breakeven: 2.49%
- 5Y5Y Forward: 2.28%
- Stagflation Risk Score: 42/100
Fed & Global Liquidity
- Fed Balance Sheet (WALCL): $6728.5B
- Treasury General Account (TGA): $838.6B
- Reverse Repo (RRP): $0.6B
- US Net Liquidity (WALCL - TGA - RRP): $5,889B
- Liquidity Regime: Adequate
- ECB Balance Sheet: ~$7,199B ▲
- BOJ Balance Sheet: ~$4,178B
- Global Net Liquidity: $17,262B
- BTC-USD (Liquidity Proxy): $76,885 ▼ (Neutral)
Active Alerts
- [WARNING] Oil market backwardation signal: energy regime SHOCK with crack spread at $53.54/bbl — supply disruption driving spot premium.
- [WARNING] SKEW at 146 — elevated tail-risk hedging activity.
- [WARNING] Sector breadth divergence: wide spread between strongest and weakest sectors — rotation or narrow leadership.
- [CRITICAL] WTI crude at $101.02 — triple-digit oil, severe stagflation and margin pressure.
- [WARNING] Oil-equity transmission active: SPY-Oil correlation at -0.704 with energy in SHOCK — crude shock propagating into equities.
- [CRITICAL] WTI crude at $101.02 — energy shock territory, stagflation risk rising.
- [WARNING] 5Y breakeven inflation at 2.70% — inflation expectations well above Fed target.
- [WARNING] 3-2-1 crack spread at $53.54/bbl — refining margins extremely elevated, consumer fuel price pressure.
- [WARNING] Oil spike alert: USO at $148.23 — potential geopolitical disruption or supply shock.
- [WARNING] Key correlation regime break detected — normal market relationships are shifting, increased unpredictability.
Seasonality
- Current Month: May
- Average Return: +1.06%
- Median Return: +1.61%
- Hit Rate: 80%
- Signal: Historically Neutral
Today's Events
Economic Releases:
- Industrial Production(MoM)(Apr): 0.7% vs Est. 0.3% (BEAT) | Prev: -0.3%
- Industrial Production(YoY)(Apr): 1.35% | Prev: 0.76%
- NY Empire State Manufacturing Index(May): 19.60 vs Est. 7.30 (BEAT) | Prev: 11.00
Upcoming Calendar (30 Days)
Economic Releases:
- Philadelphia Fed Mfg Index: 2026-05-26
- Gross Domestic Product (GDP): 2026-05-28
- Employment Situation (Payrolls): 2026-06-05
- Consumer Price Index (CPI): 2026-06-10
- Producer Price Index (PPI): 2026-06-11
- Industrial Production: 2026-06-15
Earnings & EPS Estimates:
- NVDA (2026-05-20): EPS Est. $1.78 (↑0.4% vs 30d)
- WMT (2026-05-21): EPS Est. $0.66 (↓0.3% vs 30d)
- JPM (2026-07-14): EPS Est. $5.40 (↑0.0% vs 30d)
- GS (2026-07-14): EPS Est. $13.74 (↓4.7% vs 30d)
- TSLA (2026-07-22): EPS Est. $0.45 (↑1.7% vs 30d)
- GOOGL (2026-07-23): EPS Est. $2.87 (↑4.0% vs 30d)
- MSFT (2026-07-29): EPS Est. $4.24 (↓0.2% vs 30d)
- META (2026-07-29): EPS Est. $7.23 (↑1.5% vs 30d)
- AAPL (2026-07-30): EPS Est. $1.90 (↑9.6% vs 30d)
- AMZN (2026-07-30): EPS Est. $1.82 (↑2.0% vs 30d)
FX News Wire
Unread articles (24):
[1] IEA warns of rapid Oil inventory drawdowns, finite reserve support URL: https://www.fxstreet.com/news/iea-warns-of-rapid-oil-inventory-drawdowns-finite-reserve-support-202605180951 Published: Mon, 18 May 2026 09:51:49 Z
[2] Equities: Bond-oil pressure hits sentiment - Deutsche Bank URL: https://www.fxstreet.com/news/equities-bond-oil-pressure-hits-sentiment-deutsche-bank-202605180941 Published: Mon, 18 May 2026 09:41:11 Z
[3] Indian Rupee refreshes all-time lows due to rising oil prices URL: https://www.fxstreet.com/news/indian-rupee-falls-further-as-oil-prices-extend-advance-202605180545 Published: Mon, 18 May 2026 09:37:24 Z
[4] Silver price today: Silver rises, according to FXStreet data URL: https://www.fxstreet.com/news/silver-price-today-silver-rises-according-to-fxstreet-data-202605180930 Published: Mon, 18 May 2026 09:30:47 Z
[5] British Pound: Downside risk versus US Dollar below 200-DMA - Societe Generale URL: https://www.fxstreet.com/news/british-pound-downside-risk-versus-us-dollar-below-200-dma-societe-generale-202605180928 Published: Mon, 18 May 2026 09:28:50 Z
[6] New Zealand Dollar advances as US Dollar correction outweighs weak Chinese data URL: https://www.fxstreet.com/news/new-zealand-dollar-advances-as-us-dollar-correction-outweighs-weak-chinese-data-202605180926 Published: Mon, 18 May 2026 09:26:34 Z
[7] USD/CAD Price Forecast: 50% Fibo retracement near 1.3755 acts as key barrier URL: https://www.fxstreet.com/news/usd-cad-price-forecast-50-fibo-retracement-near-13755-acts-as-key-barrier-202605180921 Published: Mon, 18 May 2026 09:21:18 Z
[8] Dow Jones futures trim recent losses after reports of Iran-Oman talks URL: https://www.fxstreet.com/news/dow-jones-futures-trim-recent-losses-after-reports-of-iran-oman-talks-202605180911 Published: Mon, 18 May 2026 09:11:48 Z
[9] Gold struggles to extend recovery from late‑March low as Fed hike bets favor USD bulls URL: https://www.fxstreet.com/news/gold-rebounds-from-multi-month-low-bullish-usd-and-fed-hike-bets-to-cap-upside-202605180438 Published: Mon, 18 May 2026 09:09:48 Z
[10] China: Cooling demand and stable US ties - Standard Chartered URL: https://www.fxstreet.com/news/china-cooling-demand-and-stable-us-ties-standard-chartered-202605180908 Published: Mon, 18 May 2026 09:08:22 Z
[11] British Pound bounces up nearing 1.3400 on rumours about US-Iran peace talks URL: https://www.fxstreet.com/news/british-pound-bounces-up-nearing-13400-on-rumours-about-us-iran-peace-talks-202605180905 Published: Mon, 18 May 2026 09:05:38 Z
[12] Indonesian Rupiah hits record low vs USD on Middle East tensions; USD/IDR conquers 17,700 URL: https://www.fxstreet.com/news/indonesian-rupiah-hits-record-low-vs-usd-on-middle-east-tensions-usd-idr-conquers-17-700-202605180901 Published: Mon, 18 May 2026 09:01:42 Z
[13] Japan mulls issuing fresh debt to fund extra budget - Reuters URL: https://www.fxstreet.com/news/japan-mulls-issuing-fresh-debt-to-fund-extra-budget-reuters-202605180854 Published: Mon, 18 May 2026 08:54:26 Z
[14] US Dollar: Fed pressure and bond sell-off - ING URL: https://www.fxstreet.com/news/us-dollar-fed-pressure-and-bond-sell-off-ing-202605180838 Published: Mon, 18 May 2026 08:38:14 Z
[15] Japanese Yen struggles despite retreating oil prices URL: https://www.fxstreet.com/news/japanese-yen-struggles-despite-retreating-oil-prices-202605180836 Published: Mon, 18 May 2026 08:36:52 Z
[16] US President Trump: Iran is dying to sign a deal URL: https://www.fxstreet.com/news/us-president-trump-iran-is-dying-to-sign-a-deal-202605180833 Published: Mon, 18 May 2026 08:33:38 Z
[17] Silver: Downside risks build after sharp slide - OCBC URL: https://www.fxstreet.com/news/silver-downside-risks-build-after-sharp-slide-ocbc-202605180817 Published: Mon, 18 May 2026 08:17:08 Z
[18] Australian Dollar clings to recovery gains vs retreating USD; Iran tensions cap upside URL: https://www.fxstreet.com/news/australian-dollar-clings-to-recovery-gains-vs-retreating-usd-iran-tensions-cap-upside-202605180811 Published: Mon, 18 May 2026 08:11:14 Z
[19] WTI Oil eases to $101.50 as Tehran flags Hormuz reopening URL: https://www.fxstreet.com/news/wti-oil-eases-to-10150-as-tehran-flags-hormuz-reopening-202605180811 Published: Mon, 18 May 2026 08:11:05 Z
[20] Indian Rupee: Record low deepens against US Dollar - MUFG URL: https://www.fxstreet.com/news/indian-rupee-record-low-deepens-against-us-dollar-mufg-202605180805 Published: Mon, 18 May 2026 08:05:56 Z
[21] US Dollar Index turns upside down to near 99.15 on hopes of Hormuz stability URL: https://www.fxstreet.com/news/us-dollar-index-turns-upside-down-to-near-9915-on-hopes-of-hormuz-stability-202605180802 Published: Mon, 18 May 2026 08:02:50 Z
[22] Italy Trade Balance EU declined to €-1.08B in March from previous €-0.652B URL: https://www.fxstreet.com/news/italy-trade-balance-eu-declined-to-eu-108b-in-march-from-previous-eu-0652b-202605180802 Published: Mon, 18 May 2026 08:02:14 Z
[23] Italy Global Trade Balance registered at €4.709B, below expectations (€5.2B) in March URL: https://www.fxstreet.com/news/italy-global-trade-balance-registered-at-eu4709b-below-expectations-eu52b-in-march-202605180801 Published: Mon, 18 May 2026 08:01:30 Z
[24] BoE's Greene: Second-round effects of energy price shock won't show up for another year URL: https://www.fxstreet.com/news/boes-greene-second-round-effects-of-energy-price-shock-wont-show-up-for-another-year-202605180756 Published: Mon, 18 May 2026 07:56:52 Z
Iran War News
Updates (6):
[1] Iran blackout hits 80th day as pro-regime content surges online, NetBlocks says Time: 2026-05-18T09:08:02.170Z
[2] Video: San Jose car rally protest Iran's internet shutdown Time: 2026-05-18T09:00:19.930Z
[3] Iran president says refusing negotiations is no solution Time: 2026-05-18T08:43:21.755Z
[BREAKING] [4] Trump says Iran is dying to sign deal Time: 2026-05-18T08:19:24.570Z
[5] Iran warns of 'new surprises' if war breaks out Time: 2026-05-18T08:10:11.617Z
[BREAKING] [6] Pakistan shared revised Iran war proposal with US - Reuters Time: 2026-05-18T08:04:50.251Z
Hormuz Strait Status
Hormuz Strait: no change since last report.
Strait of Hormuz Dashboard:
- Ships Transiting: Near zero (normal: ~60/day)
- Stranded Vessels: 150+ ships including tankers, bulk carriers, and other commercial vessels
- Oil Prices: Brent crude surging due to supply disruption
- War Risk Insurance: Premiums at extreme levels, over 16x normal rates
- Throughput: Under 2% of normal daily deadweight tonnage
- Global Impact: 21% of world oil supply at risk; 25% of global LNG trade at risk; est. $4 billion/day economic cost
- Shipping: +14 days via Cape reroute; tanker rates tripled