FRED Macro Data for Regime Analysis

Code Machine Learning for Trading

Summary

This configuration specifies a historical macroeconomic dataset from FRED for regime filtering and cross-asset analysis. It organizes series by daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly frequency, including Treasury yields, the federal funds rate, the VIX, labor measures, inflation indexes, industrial production, money supply, and nominal and real GDP. It also lists descriptive names and defines yield-curve spreads derived from Treasury maturities.

A separate initial-release series set is configured for selected rates and volatility measures, supporting analysis that accounts for when data first became available. Outputs include aligned, raw, and metadata files, with profiling enabled. The configuration provides inputs and derived indicators rather than an analysis or tested trading rule. It does not explain release-lag handling, the precise regime model, or evidence that the listed spreads predict returns; any strategy using these series needs its own timing and validation checks.

Key ideas

Group macroeconomic indicators by their reporting frequency when assembling cross-asset research data.
Treasury yields, the VIX, labor, inflation, production, and money supply are included as potential regime inputs.
Yield-curve spreads are derived from the 10-year yield relative to shorter-maturity Treasury yields.
Initial-release observations are configured separately to support research that considers data availability timing.
The configuration supplies data inputs but does not establish that any indicator has predictive value.

Tags

Multi-asset Fixed income Volatility Statistics

Full text

# config.yaml


```yaml
# ML4T Macro Data Configuration
# ============================
# Macro indicators for regime filtering and cross-asset analysis
# FRED provider (requires free FRED_API_KEY)
#
# Products: Treasury yields, rates, volatility, labor, inflation, growth
# Date range: 2000-01-01 to 2025-12-31 (26 years)
# Estimated cost: Free (requires FRED API key from https://fred.stlouisfed.org)
#
# Usage:
#   from ml4t.data.macro.downloader import MacroDataManager
#
#   # Initialize with config
#   manager = MacroDataManager.from_config("config/macro.yaml")
#
#   # Download all data
#   manager.download_treasury_yields()
#
#   # Load data for analysis
#   yields = manager.load_treasury_yields()

macro:
  provider: fred
  start: '2000-01-01'
  end: '2025-12-31'
  storage_path: macro
  generate_profile: true
  outputs:
    aligned_file: fred_macro.parquet
    raw_file: fred_macro_raw.parquet
    metadata_file: fred_macro_metadata.parquet

  alfred_initial_release:
    symbols:
      - DGS1
      - DGS2
      - DGS3
      - DGS5
      - DGS7
      - DGS10
      - DGS20
      - DGS30
      - VIXCLS
    outputs:
      aligned_file: fred_macro_initial_release.parquet
      raw_file: fred_macro_initial_release_raw.parquet
    derived:
      - name: YIELD_CURVE_SLOPE
        formula: DGS10 - DGS2
      - name: YIELD_CURVE_5_10
        formula: DGS10 - DGS5

  series:
    daily:
      description: "Daily rates and volatility indicators"
      symbols:
        - DFF
        - DGS1
        - DGS2
        - DGS3
        - DGS5
        - DGS7
        - DGS10
        - DGS20
        - DGS30
        - T10Y2Y
        - VIXCLS

    weekly:
      description: "Weekly labor and Federal Reserve balance sheet indicators"
      symbols:
        - ICSA
        - WALCL

    monthly:
      description: "Monthly inflation, labor, production, and money supply indicators"
      symbols:
        - CPIAUCSL
        - CPILFESL
        - PCEPI
        - UNRATE
        - PAYEMS
        - CIVPART
        - INDPRO
        - M2SL

    quarterly:
      description: "Quarterly growth indicators"
      symbols:
        - GDP
        - GDPC1

  descriptions:
    DFF: "Fed Funds Rate"
    DGS1: "1-Year Treasury Constant Maturity"
    DGS2: "2-Year Treasury Constant Maturity"
    DGS3: "3-Year Treasury Constant Maturity"
    DGS5: "5-Year Treasury Constant Maturity"
    DGS7: "7-Year Treasury Constant Maturity"
    DGS10: "10-Year Treasury Constant Maturity"
    DGS20: "20-Year Treasury Constant Maturity"
    DGS30: "30-Year Treasury Constant Maturity"
    T10Y2Y: "10Y-2Y Treasury spread"
    VIXCLS: "VIX Volatility Index"
    ICSA: "Initial Jobless Claims"
    WALCL: "Fed Balance Sheet"
    CPIAUCSL: "CPI All Urban Consumers"
    CPILFESL: "Core CPI"
    PCEPI: "PCE Price Index"
    UNRATE: "Unemployment Rate"
    PAYEMS: "Non-Farm Payrolls"
    CIVPART: "Labor Force Participation"
    INDPRO: "Industrial Production"
    M2SL: "M2 Money Stock"
    GDP: "Nominal GDP"
    GDPC1: "Real GDP"

  derived:
    - name: YIELD_CURVE_SLOPE
      formula: DGS10 - DGS2
      description: "10Y-2Y spread for regime detection (>0.5% = risk-on)"
    - name: YIELD_CURVE_5_10
      formula: DGS10 - DGS5
      description: "10Y-5Y spread for additional regime context"

```

Shown in full with attribution under the source's licence. Licence: MIT

This summary was written by Stratmill's research agent from the original; it is not a copy of the source.

Configuring FRED Macro Data for Cross-Asset Regime Analysis

Summary

Key ideas

Tags