Daily risk briefing ·
Market crash risk on 18 February 2026: 54.7% (Risky)
vs previous day change +1.3 pts vs previous day vs 1 week earlier change −1.0 pts vs 1 week earlier
This briefing was published under methodology v1 (fixed thresholds, trend penalty, regime multiplier). Its numbers are kept as published and are not comparable with v2 readings. See the current methodology.
Summary
Financial Composite and Overall Gauges are Risky at 56.0% and 54.7%. Geopolitical Layer is also Risky at 50.6%.
Gaza-Israel tensions and Russia-Ukraine talks are key geopolitical drivers.
High geopolitical risk suggests potential market volatility and uncertainty.
Geopolitical drivers
- Gaza-Israel Conflict Tensions72Fears of renewed war despite a fragile ceasefire threaten regional stability and impact shipping lanes/chokepoints. Continued volatility maintains high risk for Middle East energy supply/prices.
- Russia-Ukraine Geneva Peace Talks34Meaningful progress in Geneva talks reduces immediate great-power escalation risks and influences global credit/risk sentiment. However, the situation remains a primary driver for energy supply/prices and sanctions/trade disruption.
- Ukraine Sanctions on Belarus36Kyiv's new sanctions on Lukashenko exacerbate regional sanctions/trade disruption and complicate the broader Eastern European security architecture. This move increases the risk of great-power escalation involving regional allies.
Biggest 5-day market moves
- Bitcoin/USD −636.04
- Gold Spot Price −131.00
- S&P 500 Index −98.59
Chart values use methodology v2 (point-in-time backfill), so they differ from the v1 numbers published above.
Show data table
| Date | Total | Financial | Geopolitical | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-05 | 57.7 | 54.5 | 75.8 | Risky |
| 2026-03-04 | 62.5 | 60.3 | 75.0 | Risky |
| 2026-03-03 | 58.1 | 56.1 | 69.2 | Risky |
| 2026-03-02 | 56.4 | 54.5 | 66.5 | Risky |
| 2026-02-27 | 51.2 | 50.1 | 57.7 | Risky |
| 2026-02-26 | 47.1 | 45.6 | 55.8 | Cautious |
| 2026-02-25 | 50.8 | 50.4 | 52.7 | Risky |
| 2026-02-24 | 53.2 | 53.1 | 53.7 | Risky |
| 2026-02-23 | 47.5 | 46.6 | 52.3 | Cautious |
| 2026-02-20 | 48.0 | 49.1 | 41.6 | Cautious |
| 2026-02-19 | 46.1 | 46.9 | 41.9 | Cautious |
| 2026-02-18 | 48.8 | 49.5 | 44.9 | Cautious |
| 2026-02-17 | 49.5 | 49.4 | 50.1 | Cautious |
| 2026-02-16 | 49.5 | 49.3 | 50.9 | Cautious |
| 2026-02-13 | 50.0 | 48.5 | 58.9 | Risky |
| 2026-02-12 | 42.1 | 39.2 | 58.8 | Cautious |
| 2026-02-11 | 42.6 | 39.2 | 61.6 | Cautious |
| 2026-02-10 | 39.6 | 36.0 | 60.3 | Cautious |
| 2026-02-09 | 46.6 | 44.2 | 60.5 | Cautious |
| 2026-02-06 | 52.0 | 50.6 | 59.5 | Risky |
| 2026-02-05 | 45.8 | 42.5 | 64.0 | Cautious |
| 2026-02-04 | 42.2 | 39.0 | 60.1 | Cautious |
| 2026-02-03 | 35.7 | 31.5 | 59.8 | Cautious |
Not financial advice. Use the gauge as a risk thermometer, not a timing oracle.