Daily risk briefing ·
Market crash risk on 21 May 2026: 62.3% (Nearly Crash)
vs previous day change −1.3 pts vs previous day vs 1 week earlier change −3.5 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
The Financial Composite Gauge registered 66.0% (Nearly Crash), the Overall Gauge hit 62.3% (Nearly Crash), and the Geopolitical Layer is 51.3% (Risky). Top drivers are US-Iran Conflict Resolution Uncertainty (63.8%) and Chinese and Iranian Business in Occupied Ukraine (57.8%). This divergence between extreme financial stress and moderate geopolitical risk suggests that internal market vulnerabilities currently dominate asset pricing.
Geopolitical drivers
- US-Iran Conflict Resolution Uncertainty64Ongoing military tensions between the US and Iran threaten Middle East energy supply/prices and critical shipping lanes/chokepoints.
- Chinese and Iranian Business in Occupied Ukraine58Evidence of Chinese and Iranian companies operating in Russian-occupied Ukraine increases the risk of secondary Western sanctions/trade disruption.
- Middle East Energy Supply Risks60The unresolved US-Iran conflict keeps risk premiums high, directly impacting global energy supply/prices.
Biggest 5-day market moves
- Bitcoin/USD −2158.19
- Gold Spot Price −160.20
- S&P 500 Index −11.28
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-05 | 39.4 | 35.0 | 64.8 | Cautious |
| 2026-06-04 | 41.1 | 37.0 | 64.2 | Cautious |
| 2026-06-03 | 35.9 | 30.4 | 67.5 | Cautious |
| 2026-06-02 | 36.8 | 31.4 | 67.2 | Cautious |
| 2026-06-01 | 36.3 | 30.3 | 69.8 | Cautious |
| 2026-05-29 | 34.9 | 30.1 | 62.4 | Safe |
| 2026-05-28 | 35.7 | 30.9 | 62.7 | Cautious |
| 2026-05-27 | 36.0 | 31.4 | 61.9 | Cautious |
| 2026-05-26 | 42.9 | 34.0 | 93.5 | Cautious |
| 2026-05-25 | 38.5 | 34.1 | 63.4 | Cautious |
| 2026-05-22 | 42.1 | 37.8 | 66.6 | Cautious |
| 2026-05-21 | 43.1 | 39.3 | 64.4 | Cautious |
| 2026-05-20 | 48.0 | 44.8 | 66.0 | Cautious |
| 2026-05-19 | 46.8 | 42.8 | 69.0 | Cautious |
| 2026-05-18 | 47.1 | 42.8 | 71.9 | Cautious |
| 2026-05-15 | 37.3 | 32.0 | 67.2 | Cautious |
| 2026-05-14 | 40.6 | 35.7 | 68.5 | Cautious |
| 2026-05-13 | 41.0 | 35.9 | 70.3 | Cautious |
| 2026-05-12 | 37.2 | 31.8 | 67.5 | Cautious |
| 2026-05-11 | 35.2 | 29.0 | 70.1 | Cautious |
| 2026-05-08 | 38.9 | 33.1 | 71.8 | Cautious |
| 2026-05-07 | 35.6 | 28.9 | 73.7 | Cautious |
| 2026-05-06 | 35.5 | 29.2 | 71.5 | Cautious |
Not financial advice. Use the gauge as a risk thermometer, not a timing oracle.