S&P 500 (SPX) futures are currently moving in close alignment with a proprietary i3 Invest US Liquidity Indicator that is shifted forward by about four months. Historical co-movement suggests that changes in system liquidity often show up in futures pricing before they appear in the broader economy.
Both series feature a pronounced downswing around late-2024 to early-2025 and a subsequent upswing into 2025-2026. That path reflects the liquidity model’s projection rather than an observed or guaranteed outcome for futures prices.
The linkage fits a familiar macro mechanism: tighter monetary conditions and weaker liquidity have tended to coincide with equity drawdowns, while easier conditions support valuations. However, the indicator is proprietary, its future values are themselves modeled, and lead-lag relationships of this kind have historically been prone to weakening, shifting in timing, or breaking altogether as regimes and policy frameworks change.
Terminology
- 01Monetary conditions: Overall stance of central bank policy and its impact on financial system liquidity.
- 02Lead-lag relationship: Statistical pattern where one variable tends to move ahead of another.