St. Louis Fed Financial Stress Index (DISCONTINUED) (STLFSI)
St. Louis Fed Financial Stress Index (DISCONTINUED) — Historical Chart
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St. Louis Fed Financial Stress Index (DISCONTINUED) (FRED series STLFSI) is a weekly economic indicator measured in index. The series is published through FRED, the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis economic database, with history going back to 1993.
Why it matters: St. Louis Fed Financial Stress Index (DISCONTINUED) is one of the indicators traders, economists, and policymakers watch within the economic complex. Analysts use it to track conditions in the US economy and to anticipate shifts in growth, inflation, and policy.
How to read it: focus on the direction and persistence of changes rather than any single weekly print. Comparing the latest value against its level a year ago, and against its long-run range since 1993, gives a better sense of whether the series is signaling acceleration, deceleration, or a turning point.
About This Series
The methodology for the St. Louis Fed's Financial Stress Index was revised and this series is discontinued. The new version, STLFSI3, can be found here (https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/STLFSI3). The STLFSI measures the degree of financial stress in the markets and is constructed from 18 weekly data series: seven interest rate series, six yield spreads and five other indicators. Each of these variables captures some aspect of financial stress. Accordingly, as the level of financial stress in the economy changes, the data series are likely to move together. How to Interpret the Index: The average value of the index, which begins in late 1993, is designed to be zero. Thus, zero is viewed as representing normal financial market conditions. Values below zero suggest below-average financial market stress, while values above zero suggest above-average financial market stress. More information: For additional information on the STLFSI and its construction, see "Measuring Financial Market Stress" (https://files.stlouisfed.org/research/publications/es/10/ES1002.pdf) and the related appendix (https://files.stlouisfed.org/files/htdocs/publications/net/NETJan2010Appendix.pdf). See this list (https://www.stlouisfed.org/news-releases/st-louis-fed-financial-stress-index/stlfsi-key) of the components that are used to construct the STLFSI. As of 07/15/2010 the Vanguard Financial Exchange-Traded Fund series has been replaced with the S&P 500 Financials Index. This change was made to facilitate a more timely and automated updating of the FSI. Switching from the Vanguard series to the S&P series produced no meaningful change in the index. Copyright, 2016, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is St. Louis Fed Financial Stress Index (DISCONTINUED) today?
The latest value of St. Louis Fed Financial Stress Index (DISCONTINUED) (STLFSI) is shown at the top of this page, along with its observation date and the change from the prior reading. Data is sourced from FRED and refreshed regularly.
How often is St. Louis Fed Financial Stress Index (DISCONTINUED) updated?
St. Louis Fed Financial Stress Index (DISCONTINUED) is reported weekly (Weekly, Ending Friday). New observations appear on FRED shortly after the source agency releases them, and this page updates daily.
What does a rising St. Louis Fed Financial Stress Index (DISCONTINUED) mean?
A sustained rise in St. Louis Fed Financial Stress Index (DISCONTINUED) signals strengthening readings in this economic measure, in index. Whether that is positive or negative for markets depends on context — compare the move against the series’ trend and related indicators in the same category.
Where does the STLFSI data come from?
The data comes from FRED® (Federal Reserve Economic Data), maintained by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, under series ID STLFSI. History is available back to 1993.
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Data sourced from FRED®, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis: St. Louis Fed Financial Stress Index (DISCONTINUED) (STLFSI). Retrieved from fred.stlouisfed.org. Last updated March 19, 2020.