St. Louis Fed Financial Stress Index Declines Slightly

Please note: Data values previously published are subject to revision. For more information, refer to the vintage series in ALFRED®.

Financial market stress fell slightly in the latest reporting week, according to the St. Louis Fed Financial Stress Index (STLFSI). For the week ending Sept. 2, the index measured -1.123, down slightly from the previous week’s revised value of -1.121. The index has declined in eight of the past 11 weeks. Zero represents normal financial stress.

Over the past week, eight of the 18 indicators contributed negatively to the change in the index, unchanged from the previous week. The two largest negative contributions were made by the difference between the three-month Treasury bill yield and the three-month Eurodollar rate (TED) and the Standard & Poor’s Financials Index (SP500_FI). Eight of the 18 indicators contributed positively to the weekly change in the index, the same as the previous week. The two largest positive contributions were made by the expected inflation rate over the next 10 years (BIR_10yr) and the Merrill Lynch Asset-Backed Master BBB-rated security (Mlynch_BBBAA).

Over the past year, nine of the 18 indicators made a negative contribution to the index and nine indicators made a positive contribution to the index. Like the previous week, the largest negative contributions (regardless of ranking) were made by the Chicago Board Options Exchange Market Volatility Index (VIX), the yield on Baa-rated corporate bonds (BAA), and the Merrill Lynch Bond Market Volatility Index (Mlynch_BMVI_1mo). Also like the previous week, the two largest positive contributions over the past year were made by the difference between the three-month Libor rate and the three-month Overnight Index Swap rate (LiborOIS_3mo) and the TED spread.

For an explanation of the 18 component variables in the STLFSI, refer to the STLFSI Key.