Built to explain market stress better than generic retail dashboards can.
The product blends structural credit stress, broader finance-market stress, and tactical fast-moving signals so users can see both how bad conditions are and how quickly they are changing. The goal is not more noise. It is a better retail decision surface than chart stacks, delayed commentary, or single-indicator fear gauges. Each layer still inherits the cadence of its underlying sources, so faster tactical panels should not be confused with universal real-time coverage.
Slow-moving credit and balance-sheet deterioration captured through spreads, charge-offs, non-accruals, and related macro transmission signals.
A broader layer that frames how stress is spreading across credit, funding, breadth, volatility, and cross-market fragility.
Fast-moving signals such as volatility clustering, funding stress, and market microstructure proxies that matter when conditions are changing quickly.
Plain-English summaries, real-stress levels, defensive posture, and recovery watch conditions built for non-institutional users.
Risk Band Definitions
How we classify indicator stress levels based on historical percentiles.
Indicator is within typical historical ranges. No unusual stress detected.
Indicator is elevated but not extreme. Worth monitoring for further deterioration.
Indicator is showing concerning stress. This level has historically preceded market difficulties.
Indicator is at extreme levels seen only during major market stress events.
How Scores Are Calculated
Individual Indicator Scores (0-100): Each metric is scored based on where its current value sits relative to its 5-year history. We also incorporate rate-of-change (how fast conditions are deteriorating) and z-scores for statistical context.
Composite Dashboard Score: The headline stress reading aggregates individual indicator scores, weighted by signal quality, data freshness, and category importance. Leading indicators receive higher weight during early-warning regimes.
Risk Direction: Each indicator specifies whether high values mean stress (credit spreads), low values mean stress (market breadth), or context matters (two-sided indicators like yield curves).
Data Sources
Where our indicators come from and how often they update.
| Source | Data Types | Update Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| FRED (Federal Reserve) | Credit spreads, yield curves, financial conditions, labor market | Daily to monthly |
| Yahoo Finance | Market prices, ETF returns, relative strength calculations | Daily |
| CBOE | VIX and volatility indices | Real-time (delayed) |
| SEC EDGAR | BDC non-accruals, PIK income, bankruptcy filings | Quarterly |
What you can expect from this approach
You'll always know whether a feed is current, stale, or still pending — no guessing about what's live versus what's historical.
See when signals agree or diverge, so you understand how strong or uncertain the current view is before making decisions.
The app highlights risk posture and areas worth investigating — it's built to inform your thinking, not replace it.
Paid tiers add better maintenance and broader data sources where available — but they don't magically turn weekly or quarterly data into real-time feeds. We're honest about what each source can deliver.
Limitations & Important Notes
- ⚠️Indicators can signal stress before markets react (false alarms) or after damage is done (lagging confirmation).
- ⚠️Some data sources update weekly or quarterly — they cannot predict daily market moves.
- ⚠️Composite scores reflect multiple inputs with different update frequencies.
- ⚠️Past patterns may not repeat — markets change, and historical percentiles are just one lens.
- ⚠️This is research and educational content, not investment advice or trading signals.
Disclaimer
This application is for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute investment advice, financial advice, trading advice, or any other sort of advice. You should not treat any of the application's content as such. The application does not recommend that any security should be bought, sold, or held by you. Do conduct your own due diligence and consult your financial advisor before making any investment decisions.