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Made with Python
Imagine financial markets as a living, breathing organism, constantly shifting, evolving, and responding to the collective pulse of global economic activities. Each moment carries its own unique energy, its distinct personality. What appears calm today might transform into a volatile storm tomorrow. This intricate dance of market behavior is precisely what makes market regime analysis so fascinating.
Understanding Market Regimes: Beyond Simple Numbers
A market regime is far more than a mere statistical snapshot. It’s a comprehensive narrative of market psychology, capturing the collective emotions, fears, and expectations of investors at a specific moment in time. Think of it as a financial mood ring that reveals the underlying sentiment driving market movements.
Traditionally, investors have sought to understand these market transformations through complex and often prohibitively expensive analyses. Our approach offers a systematic method that breaks down this complexity into manageable, quantifiable components.
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The Methodology: Unraveling Market Complexity
Our analysis rests on three fundamental pillars: data collection, volatility calculation, and regime classification. Each of these steps is crucial in transforming raw market data into meaningful insights.
Data Collection: Painting the Financial Canvas
We begin by capturing two critical market indicators: the S&P 500 and the VIX Index. The S&P 500 provides a panoramic view of the U.S. stock market, while the VIX acts as a thermometer measuring market volatility and investor fear.
Our analysis spans a three-year window (a carefully chosen timeframe that balances historical depth with current market relevance). This isn’t an arbitrary decision, but a strategic approach to capturing meaningful market trends while maintaining analytical currency.
Volatility Calculation: Peering Beyond the Obvious
This is where our methodology becomes truly sophisticated. Instead of relying on simple volatility measures, we employ the Yang-Zhang volatility estimation method(an advanced statistical model that captures multiple dimensions of market volatility).
The Yang-Zhang method is revolutionary in its approach. It doesn’t settle for a single perspective but deconstructs volatility into specific components: overnight volatility, open-to-close volatility, and an innovative calculation considering price movements between highs and lows. Imagine it as a financial prism that breaks down market movement into its fundamental spectrum.
This approach allows us to understand not just how much the market moves but also the nuanced reasons behind those movements. Volatility transforms from a cold number into a narrative of financial behavior.
Regime Classification: Translating Numbers into Narratives
Our classification system goes beyond simple bullish or bearish categorizations. We create a five-state spectrum that captures the market’s emotional nuances:
From “Extremely Bearish” to “Extremely Bullish,” with neutral states in between, each classification represents a distinct market mood. It’s like creating an emotional map of financial landscapes.
The algorithm carefully weights multiple factors: historical volatility, VIX ratio and volatility trends. Each component contributes a unique perspective, like musicians in an orchestra creating a complex financial symphony.
Beyond the Numbers: Interpretation and Context
The most critical understanding is that no model can predict the future with absolute certainty. Our market regime analysis is a tool for comprehension, not a crystal ball. It provides a structured perspective for informed decision-making, but it does not guarantee outcomes.
The most successful investors are those who combine this quantitative analysis with fundamental research, a broader understanding of economic contexts, and, most importantly, a critical and adaptable mindset.
The full end-to-end workflow is available in a Google Colab notebook, exclusively for paid subscribers of my newsletter. Paid subscribers also gain access to the complete article, including the full code snippet in the Google Colab notebook, which is accessible below the paywall at the end of the article. Subscribe now to unlock these benefits!
import yfinance as yf
import pandas as pd
import numpy as np
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
from datetime import datetime, timedelta
class MarketRegimeAnalyzer:
def __init__(self, start_date=None, end_date=None):
"""
Initialize Market Regime Analyzer
Args:
start_date (str, optional): Start date for analysis. Defaults to 3 years ago.
end_date (str, optional): End date for analysis. Defaults to today.
"""
# Set default date range if not provided
if start_date is None:
start_date = (datetime.now() - timedelta(days=3*365)).strftime('%Y-%m-%d')
if end_date is None:
end_date = datetime.now().strftime('%Y-%m-%d')
self.start_date = start_date
self.end_date = end_date
# Tickers for analysis
self.indices = {
'SPX': '^GSPC',
'VIX': '^VIX'
}
# Data storage
self.data = {}
def fetch_data(self):
"""
Fetch historical data for specified indices
Returns:
MarketRegimeAnalyzer: Self with fetched data
"""
for name, ticker in self.indices.items():
try:
# Download data using yfinance with explicit auto_adjust
# Wrap single ticker in a list to avoid previous error
df = yf.download([ticker], start=self.start_date, end=self.end_date, auto_adjust=True)
# If DataFrame has multi-level columns, flatten them
if isinstance(df.columns, pd.MultiIndex):
df.columns = [f'{col[0]}_{col[1]}' for col in df.columns]
# Ensure numeric columns for calculations
numeric_columns = ['Open', 'High', 'Low', 'Close']
for suffix in ['', '_Open', '_High', '_Low', '_Close']:
for col in [f'{suffix}' for suffix in numeric_columns]:
if col in df.columns:
df[col] = pd.to_numeric(df[col], errors='coerce')
# Add column with ticker name
df['Ticker'] = name
self.data[name] = df
except Exception as e:
print(f"Error fetching data for {name}: {e}")
# Verbose error tracking
import traceback
traceback.print_exc()
return self
def calculate_yang_zhang_volatility(self, ohlc_data, window=21):
"""
Calculate Yang-Zhang volatility
Args:
ohlc_data (pd.DataFrame): OHLC price data
window (int, optional): Rolling window. Defaults to 21.
Returns:
pd.Series: Annualized volatility
"""
# Identify correct column names
open_col = [col for col in ohlc_data.columns if 'Open' in col][0]
high_col = [col for col in ohlc_data.columns if 'High' in col][0]
low_col = [col for col in ohlc_data.columns if 'Low' in col][0]
close_col = [col for col in ohlc_data.columns if 'Close' in col][0]
# Ensure data integrity
ohlc_data = ohlc_data.dropna(subset=[open_col, high_col, low_col, close_col])
# Parameters
k = 0.34 # Standard Yang-Zhang parameter
# Calculate overnight returns
overnight_returns = np.log(ohlc_data[open_col] / ohlc_data[close_col].shift(1))
overnight_vol_sq = overnight_returns.rolling(window=window).var()
# Open-to-close volatility
open_close_returns = np.log(ohlc_data[close_col] / ohlc_data[open_col])
open_close_vol_sq = open_close_returns.rolling(window=window).var()
# Rogers-Satchell volatility
rs_terms = (np.log(ohlc_data[high_col] / ohlc_data[open_col]) *
np.log(ohlc_data[high_col] / ohlc_data[close_col]) +
np.log(ohlc_data[low_col] / ohlc_data[open_col]) *
np.log(ohlc_data[low_col] / ohlc_data[close_col]))
rs_vol_sq = rs_terms.rolling(window=window).mean()
# Yang-Zhang volatility
yz_vol_sq = overnight_vol_sq + k * rs_vol_sq + (1 - k) * open_close_vol_sq
yz_vol = np.sqrt(yz_vol_sq) * np.sqrt(252) # Annualized
return yz_vol
def detect_market_regime(self):
"""
Detect market regime based on volatility and VIX metrics
Returns:
pd.DataFrame: Market regime score and classification
"""
if not self.data:
self.fetch_data()
# Verify data was fetched
if not self.data or 'SPX' not in self.data or 'VIX' not in self.data:
raise ValueError("Failed to fetch market data. Please check internet connection and ticker symbols.")
# Prepare S&P 500 and VIX data
# Find the correct close column
spx_close_col = [col for col in self.data['SPX'].columns if 'Close' in col][0]
vix_close_col = [col for col in self.data['VIX'].columns if 'Close' in col][0]
sp500 = self.data['SPX']
vix = self.data['VIX']
# Calculate volatility
sp500_volatility = self.calculate_yang_zhang_volatility(sp500)
# Calculate volatility metrics with safeguards
sp500_vol_median = sp500_volatility.rolling(window=252).median()
# Calculate VIX ratio
vix_median = vix[vix_close_col].rolling(window=21).median()
vix_ratio = vix[vix_close_col] / vix_median
# Regime components calculation with robust handling
def safe_normalize(series):
"""Safely normalize a series to 0-1 range"""
min_val = series.min()
max_val = series.max()
range_val = max_val - min_val
# Avoid division by zero
if range_val == 0:
return pd.Series(0.5, index=series.index)
return 1 - ((series - min_val) / range_val)
# Calculate regime score components
vol_score = safe_normalize(sp500_volatility)
# VIX Ratio Score
vix_ratio_score = safe_normalize(vix_ratio)
# Additional components
vol_median_score = (sp500_vol_median > sp500_volatility).astype(float)
vix_ratio_threshold_score = (vix_ratio < 1).astype(float)
# Combine components
regime_score = (
0.3 * vol_score +
0.2 * vol_median_score +
0.3 * vix_ratio_score +
0.2 * vix_ratio_threshold_score
) * 100
# Classify regime
def classify_regime(score):
if pd.isna(score):
return 'Insufficient Data'
elif score <= 20:
return 'Extremely Bearish'
elif score <= 40:
return 'Bearish'
elif score <= 60:
return 'Neutral'
elif score <= 80:
return 'Bullish'
else:
return 'Extremely Bullish'
# Create DataFrame with results
regime_df = pd.DataFrame({
'Score': regime_score,
'Classification': regime_score.apply(classify_regime)
}, index=sp500.index)
return regime_df
def visualize_regime(self, regime_df):
"""
Visualize market regime analysis
Args:
regime_df (pd.DataFrame): Market regime DataFrame
"""
plt.figure(figsize=(15, 8))
# Color mapping for different regimes
color_map = {
'Extremely Bearish': '#B21818',
'Bearish': '#EF5350',
'Neutral': '#9C27B0',
'Bullish': '#2196F3',
'Extremely Bullish': '#1565C0',
'Insufficient Data': '#9E9E9E'
}
# Clean out NaN values
regime_df_clean = regime_df.dropna()
# Plot regime score
plt.plot(regime_df_clean.index, regime_df_clean['Score'],
linewidth=2,
color='gray',
alpha=0.7,
label='Regime Score')
# Scatter plot with color-coded points
for regime in color_map:
mask = regime_df_clean['Classification'] == regime
subset = regime_df_clean[mask]
if not subset.empty:
plt.scatter(subset.index,
subset['Score'],
c=color_map[regime],
label=regime,
alpha=0.7)
plt.title('Market Regime Analysis', fontsize=15)
plt.xlabel('Date', fontsize=12)
plt.ylabel('Regime Score', fontsize=12)
plt.ylim(0, 100)
plt.legend()
plt.grid(True, linestyle='--', alpha=0.7)
plt.tight_layout()
plt.show()
def run_analysis(self):
"""
Run complete market regime analysis
Returns:
pd.DataFrame: Market regime results
"""
regime_df = self.detect_market_regime()
self.visualize_regime(regime_df)
return regime_df
# Example usage
if __name__ == "__main__":
# Initialize and run analysis
analyzer = MarketRegimeAnalyzer()
results = analyzer.run_analysis()
# Print most recent regime details
print("\nMost Recent Market Regime:")
most_recent = results.dropna().tail(1)
print(most_recent)
# Print summary statistics
print("\nRegime Summary Statistics:")
summary_stats = results.groupby('Classification').describe()
print(summary_stats)
# Additional insights
print("\nRegime Distribution:")
regime_distribution = results['Classification'].value_counts(normalize=True) * 100
print(regime_distribution)A Final Reflection
Financial markets are complex ecosystems filled with subtle interactions and changing dynamics. Understanding their regimes is not just about numbers, it’s about comprehending the dance of information, collective psychology, and global economic currents.
Our methodology doesn’t aim to simplify this complexity but to offer a clearer window through which to observe it. It’s an invitation to look beyond surface-level data and dive into the rich narrative that markets tell us every day.
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