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Market Volatility Index

Linear model of Market Volatility Index at period t from the other tracked series and the LN_ / squared transforms described on the Regression Models index: Y(t) = Σ ai Xi(t−6).

Integrated series (S&P 500, Dow, Home Price Index, Commercial RE) are fit as ΔY. Quarterly series use one row per quarter.

Terms are added one at a time to minimize training AIC, at most min(5, n/8) predictors, one transform per driver, and only when the term’s p-value is at most 0.1 and |coefficient| is greater than 1.0e-10. A candidate correlated above 0.8 with Y or with an already selected X is skipped.

LN_ and squared predictors are clamped to their training range. Coefficients smaller than 0.001 are shown in scientific notation.

Each section is one quarter in a one-year walk (4 experiments). The newest label is the current quarter (3Q2026). The test window is the prior 6 quarters of Y; the train window is the five years (20 quarters) before that. Independents are two quarters (six months) older than Y. Dates on this page are quarter-end observations.

Charts start in January 2020 and plot published prints only (not carried-forward extra samples). Fitted (train), fitted (test), and forecast are joined at the window boundaries so the line is continuous through the label quarter. The OLS test/forecast is shown only when it beats a last-print (or zero-change) baseline on test MAE.

An intercept-only heading (for example “Δ SP500 = 40.657”) means no lagged series improved training AIC by at least 2 after the intercept, so the model is the training-mean change (a random walk with drift).

Test MAE is omitted when every print in the test window is a CCAR extra sample rather than a published observation.

3Q2026: Market Volatility Index = 643.205 − 107.183 × LN_Home Price Index − 7.567 × LN_Real GDP growth

Train: 1Q2020 – 4Q2024 (17 observations). Test: 1Q2025 – 2Q2026 (5 observations). Independents are dated two quarters (six months) before each Y period.

Regression for Market Volatility Index
Dependent variable (+/- SE):
Market Volatility Index
Constant643.205 (+/- 130.556)
p = 0.0003***
LN_Home Price Index-107.183 (+/- 22.859)
p = 0.0004***
LN_Real GDP growth-7.567 (+/- 3.584)
p = 0.054*
Observations17
R20.612
Adjusted R20.556
Residual Std. Error10.850 (df = 14)
F Statistic11.037*** (df = 2; 14)
Note:*p<0.1; **p<0.05; ***p<0.01

Test period (1Q2025 – 2Q2026)

MAE13.677
Last-print MAE12.1
RMSE16.948
R2-1.889

Chart forecast uses the last-print baseline (OLS MAE is worse).

R2 impact

Train ΔR2 is the gain when the term was added. Test ΔR2 is the drop if that term is omitted from the frozen coefficients and the reduced model is scored on the test window.

Variable Train ΔR2 Test ΔR2
LN_Home Price Index +0.4241 +3661.8081
LN_Real GDP growth +0.1878 -1.4621

2Q2026: Market Volatility Index = 342.251 − 55.61 × LN_Home Price Index

Train: 4Q2019 – 3Q2024 (20 observations). Test: 4Q2024 – 1Q2026 (6 observations). Independents are dated two quarters (six months) before each Y period.

Regression for Market Volatility Index
Dependent variable (+/- SE):
Market Volatility Index
Constant342.251 (+/- 114.764)
p = 0.008***
LN_Home Price Index-55.610 (+/- 20.611)
p = 0.015**
Observations20
R20.288
Adjusted R20.248
Residual Std. Error13.232 (df = 18)
F Statistic7.280** (df = 1; 18)
Note:*p<0.1; **p<0.05; ***p<0.01

Test period (4Q2024 – 1Q2026)

MAE9.154
Last-print MAE13.05
RMSE13.149
R2-0.705

Chart forecast uses the OLS fit (beats last-print MAE).

R2 impact

Train ΔR2 is the gain when the term was added. Test ΔR2 is the drop if that term is omitted from the frozen coefficients and the reduced model is scored on the test window.

Variable Train ΔR2 Test ΔR2
LN_Home Price Index +0.2880 +955.0395

1Q2026: Market Volatility Index = 53.31 − 2.406 × 20-year Treasury Yield² + 5.191 × LN_6-month Treasury Yield

Train: 3Q2019 – 2Q2024 (20 observations). Test: 3Q2024 – 4Q2025 (6 observations). Independents are dated two quarters (six months) before each Y period.

Regression for Market Volatility Index
Dependent variable (+/- SE):
Market Volatility Index
Constant53.310 (+/- 6.941)
p = 0.00000***
20-year Treasury Yield2-2.406 (+/- 0.705)
p = 0.004***
LN_6-month Treasury Yield5.191 (+/- 2.523)
p = 0.056*
Observations20
R20.427
Adjusted R20.360
Residual Std. Error12.242 (df = 17)
F Statistic6.336*** (df = 2; 17)
Note:*p<0.1; **p<0.05; ***p<0.01

Test period (3Q2024 – 4Q2025)

MAE19.818
Last-print MAE15.5
RMSE23.083
R2-3.862

Chart forecast uses the last-print baseline (OLS MAE is worse).

R2 impact

Train ΔR2 is the gain when the term was added. Test ΔR2 is the drop if that term is omitted from the frozen coefficients and the reduced model is scored on the test window.

Variable Train ΔR2 Test ΔR2
20-year Treasury Yield² +0.2844 +3.8683
LN_6-month Treasury Yield +0.1427 +3.4717

4Q2025: Market Volatility Index = 66.189 − 2.509 × 10-year Treasury Yield² − 7.587 × LN_Real disposable income growth

Train: 2Q2019 – 1Q2024 (12 observations). Test: 2Q2024 – 3Q2025 (6 observations). Independents are dated two quarters (six months) before each Y period.

Regression for Market Volatility Index
Dependent variable (+/- SE):
Market Volatility Index
Constant66.189 (+/- 11.789)
p = 0.0004***
10-year Treasury Yield2-2.509 (+/- 0.776)
p = 0.011**
LN_Real disposable income growth-7.587 (+/- 4.033)
p = 0.093*
Observations12
R20.554
Adjusted R20.454
Residual Std. Error14.442 (df = 9)
F Statistic5.579** (df = 2; 9)
Note:*p<0.1; **p<0.05; ***p<0.01

Test period (2Q2024 – 3Q2025)

MAE15.625
Last-print MAE15.05
RMSE19.551
R2-1.924

Chart forecast uses the last-print baseline (OLS MAE is worse).

R2 impact

Train ΔR2 is the gain when the term was added. Test ΔR2 is the drop if that term is omitted from the frozen coefficients and the reduced model is scored on the test window.

Variable Train ΔR2 Test ΔR2
10-year Treasury Yield² +0.2642 +4.0303
LN_Real disposable income growth +0.2893 -1.3368