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MACRO REGIME GUIDE

Master daily fundamental analysis and long-term market trends

8 min readUpdated Dec 2025

What is the Macro Regime?

The Macro Regime is an AI-powered fundamental analysis system that classifies the overall economic environment daily into Risk-On, Neutral, or Risk-Off states. Unlike the hourly Risk Regime that focuses on short-term sentiment, the Macro Regime analyzes fundamental economic indicators including Fed policy, inflation trends, employment data, GDP growth, and market stress to provide a long-term view of market conditions.

INFO

The Macro Regime updates daily after major economic data releases. Use it for strategic portfolio allocation and long-term positioning decisions.

Macro Regime vs Risk Regime

Understanding the difference between these two indicators is crucial for comprehensive market analysis.

COMPARISON TABLE

Key differences between the two regime systems

MACRO REGIME
RISK REGIME
Daily updates based on economic data releases
Hourly updates based on real-time price action
Fundamental analysis (Fed, Inflation, Employment, GDP)
Technical/sentiment analysis (BTC, SPY, VIX, Correlations)
Long-term positioning and allocation decisions
Short-term trading and risk management
Slower to change, more stable signals
Faster signals, more reactive to market moves
Best for portfolio construction and macro trades
Best for day trading and swing trading

Understanding Macro Regime Types

The macro environment is classified into three states based on fundamental economic conditions.

MACRO RISK-ON

Economic fundamentals are supportive of risk assets. Fed policy is accommodative or neutral, inflation is under control, employment is strong, and GDP is growing. This environment typically favors crypto, growth stocks, and higher-risk investments.

Positive Fed policy score | Controlled inflation | Strong employment | Growing GDP | Low market stress
MACRO NEUTRAL

Mixed economic signals without clear directional bias. Some indicators are positive while others are negative. This typically occurs during economic transitions or when data is conflicting.

Mixed component scores | Uncertain Fed direction | Transitional economic data | Wait for clarity
MACRO RISK-OFF

Economic fundamentals are deteriorating or concerning. Fed is hawkish, inflation is elevated, employment is weakening, or GDP is contracting. This environment favors defensive positioning, cash, and safe-haven assets.

Negative Fed policy score | High inflation | Weakening employment | Slowing GDP | Elevated market stress

Macro Regime Components

The macro regime score is calculated from five fundamental economic components, each capturing different aspects of the economic environment.

Fed Policy Score

Analyzes Federal Reserve monetary policy stance, interest rate trajectory, and forward guidance. Considers recent Fed statements, dot plots, and policy actions.

Positive = Dovish/accommodative, Negative = Hawkish/restrictive

Inflation Score

Tracks inflation trends using CPI, PPI, PCE, and other price indices. Considers both headline and core measures, as well as inflation expectations.

Positive = Declining/controlled inflation, Negative = Rising/elevated inflation

Employment Score

Evaluates labor market health through NFP, unemployment rate, jobless claims, JOLTS, and wage growth data.

Positive = Strong labor market, Negative = Weakening employment

GDP Growth Score

Assesses economic growth through GDP reports, leading indicators, PMI data, and economic activity measures.

Positive = Expanding economy, Negative = Contracting/slowing economy

Market Stress Score

Monitors financial system stress through credit spreads, volatility indices, liquidity conditions, and risk asset correlations.

Positive = Low stress/stable conditions, Negative = Elevated stress/risk aversion

AI-Powered Analysis

Each day, our AI generates a comprehensive analysis explaining the current macro regime, key drivers, and implications for markets. The analysis includes a headline summary, detailed narrative, and identification of the most important bullish and bearish factors. This AI analysis synthesizes complex economic data into actionable insights.

AI ANALYSIS EXAMPLE

Daily generated macro insights

Headline

"Fed pivot expectations rise as inflation cools, supporting risk-on macro environment"

The latest CPI print came in below expectations at 2.8% YoY, marking the fourth consecutive month of declining inflation...

Understanding Bullish & Bearish Drivers

The system identifies and ranks the most significant factors pushing the market in each direction.

BULLISH DRIVERS

Bullish drivers are positive fundamental factors supporting risk assets. These might include Fed rate cuts, falling inflation, strong employment, or improving economic data. Each driver shows its category and impact score.

BEARISH DRIVERS

Bearish drivers are negative fundamental factors weighing on risk assets. These might include Fed hawkishness, rising inflation, weakening employment, or deteriorating economic data. Understanding both sides helps assess the balance of risks.

Reading the Charts

The Macro Regime page displays a dual-axis chart showing BTC price overlaid with the macro regime score over time. Color-coded backgrounds indicate the regime state: green for risk-on, gray for neutral, and red for risk-off. Use longer time frames (30-365 days) to identify macro trends and correlations between fundamentals and price.

CHART EXAMPLE

BTC price vs Macro Regime score

BTC/USDMacro Score
BTC Macro
RISK-OFFNEUTRALRISK-ON

TIP

Major divergences between macro regime and price often precede significant corrections or rallies. Use longer time frames for clearer signals.

Selecting Time Ranges

Choose from multiple time ranges for macro analysis: 7 days for recent changes, 30 days for monthly trends, 90 days for quarterly patterns, 6 months for intermediate trends, or 1 year for full cycle analysis. Longer time ranges reveal the relationship between macro fundamentals and major market moves.

TIME RANGE SELECTOR

Macro analysis timeframes

Component Statistics

The component statistics section shows detailed metrics for each fundamental factor including current value, trend direction (improving/stable/deteriorating), average over the period, and min/max range. This helps you understand which components are driving the regime and how they are evolving.

COMPONENT STATISTICS

Detailed metrics for each factor

Fed Policy
+0.65
Inflation
+0.42
Employment
+0.28
GDP Growth
+0.35
Market Stress
-0.15

Trading with Macro Regimes

Align your long-term positioning with the prevailing macro environment for better risk-adjusted returns.

Macro Risk-On Strategies

Increase allocation to risk assets - crypto, growth stocks, high-beta positions

Consider longer holding periods as fundamentals support prices

Use pullbacks as buying opportunities rather than exit signals

Focus on higher-conviction positions with larger size

Reduce cash and defensive holdings

Look for sectors benefiting from economic expansion

Macro Neutral Strategies

Maintain balanced allocation between risk and defensive assets

Be selective with new positions - wait for clearer signals

Focus on quality over quantity in portfolio construction

Consider range-bound strategies as markets await direction

Monitor component trends for early signs of regime change

Keep some dry powder for opportunities in either direction

Macro Risk-Off Strategies

Reduce exposure to risk assets and increase defensive positions

Raise cash levels and consider stablecoins for crypto portfolios

Focus on capital preservation over growth

Use rallies to reduce risk rather than add

Consider hedging strategies for remaining positions

Be patient - macro risk-off periods can last months

WARNING

Macro regime changes slowly but persistently. Don't fight the macro trend - align your long-term positioning with the prevailing regime.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often is the macro regime updated?

The macro regime is calculated daily after major economic data releases. Updates typically occur in the morning after overnight data is processed. The system incorporates the latest Fed communications, economic releases, and market conditions.

How is macro regime different from risk regime?

Risk regime is hourly and based on price/sentiment (BTC, SPY, VIX). Macro regime is daily and based on fundamentals (Fed, inflation, employment, GDP). Use risk regime for trading timing and macro regime for portfolio allocation.

Which components matter most?

Fed policy and inflation typically have the largest impact on overall regime. However, the relative importance changes over time. During Fed pivot periods, policy matters most. During economic slowdowns, employment and GDP become more critical.

How accurate is the macro regime?

Historical analysis shows strong correlation between macro regime and subsequent 30-90 day market performance. However, markets can diverge from fundamentals in the short term. Use macro regime for directional bias, not precise timing.

What causes macro regime changes?

Major economic data releases, Fed policy shifts, inflation surprises, employment shocks, and significant changes in market stress conditions can trigger regime changes. Changes are gradual as multiple data points shift the composite score.

Should I ignore short-term moves in macro risk-off?

Not necessarily. Even in macro risk-off, there are tradeable rallies. However, maintain defensive positioning and use bounces to reduce risk rather than add. The risk regime can help time entries/exits within the macro trend.

Pro Tips

1.

Combine macro regime with risk regime - trade with risk regime timing but bias towards macro regime direction

2.

Pay attention to component trends - deteriorating trends often precede regime changes

3.

Read the AI analysis daily for nuanced understanding beyond just the score

4.

Track bullish vs bearish driver balance for early warning signals

5.

Use longer time frames (90+ days) to understand where current conditions fit historically

6.

Major Fed meetings and NFP releases are key catalysts for regime shifts

7.

Macro risk-off can persist for months - don't fight the trend

8.

Component divergences (e.g., strong employment but high inflation) create uncertainty

9.

Screenshot and save significant AI analyses for future reference

10.

Use macro regime for position sizing - smaller in neutral/risk-off, larger in risk-on

Next: Risk Regime Guide

Learn how to use the hourly Risk Regime for short-term trading decisions and intraday risk management

Read Guide