Stock market stress (OFR index) and geopolitical crises
The stock-valuation part of the OFR Financial Stress Index. It rises when share prices fall. After the 9 crises tracked by Riftrate since 2018, the stock-market stress moved by +0.03 pt on average over the next 20 trading days, and rose after 3 of them. Week by week, it shows almost no link (-0.04) with Riftrate.
| Date | Event | Type | After 5 sessions | After 20 sessions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 February 2026 | Iran war | Crisis | +0.11 pt | +0.20 pt |
| 3 January 2026 | US intervention in Venezuela | Crisis | -0.02 pt | -0.07 pt |
| 24 June 2025 | Israel–Iran ceasefire | Détente | -0.06 pt | -0.07 pt |
| 13 June 2025 | Twelve-Day War | Crisis | +0.03 pt | -0.02 pt |
| 13 April 2024 | Iran strikes Israel | Crisis | +0.05 pt | -0.02 pt |
| 7 October 2023 | October 7 attack | Crisis | -0.01 pt | -0.02 pt |
| 10 March 2023 | Iran–Saudi deal | Détente | +0.03 pt | -0.02 pt |
| 24 February 2022 | Russia invades Ukraine | Crisis | +0.07 pt | -0.02 pt |
| 15 August 2021 | Fall of Kabul | Crisis | +0.19 pt | +0.07 pt |
| 15 September 2020 | Abraham Accords | Détente | +0.19 pt | -0.13 pt |
| 3 January 2020 | Soleimani killed | Crisis | -0.00 pt | +0.30 pt |
| 12 June 2018 | Singapore summit | Détente | +0.06 pt | +0.12 pt |
| 27 April 2018 | Inter-Korean summit | Détente | +0.03 pt | -0.08 pt |
| 14 April 2018 | Western strikes on Syria | Crisis | -0.05 pt | -0.18 pt |
How to read this. A handful of events is not a law: one large move can drive an average, and markets also move for reasons unrelated to geopolitics. The link with Riftrate is a correlation of weekly changes, not a cause. This page describes the past and is not investment advice.
Data: Office of Financial Research, “OFR Financial Stress Index”, column “Equity valuation”, financialresearch.gov. Public data of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.