DATA CHECKED DAILY — Sep 3, 2026Six signals. One honest read.Built from public data. Not investment advice.
EN ↓

Are we in a stock market bubble?

YES.

The evidence is broad and unusually stretched. This looks like bubble territory, even if no gauge can call the top.

Pressure is broad: 6 of 6 signals are elevated, led by Shiller CAPE and Margin debt.

READ THE EVIDENCE ↓

COMPOSITE PRESSURE

92/ 100

COOLSTRETCHEDBUBBLE

6 / 6 signals are elevated. Valuation and leverage account for 70% of the score.

THE EVIDENCE

Six signals. One honest read.

No single metric can call a market top. We combine valuation, leverage and household positioning with faster credit and sentiment signals.

01VALUATION

Shiller CAPE

42.4×

Latest monthly reading

1997HISTORICAL TREND2026

Price divided by ten years of inflation-adjusted earnings. It smooths the business cycle to show what investors are paying for durable earning power.

Bubble signal above 30×SOURCE: Shiller data via Multpl ↗

02LEVERAGE

Margin debt

$1.42T

+38.6% year over year

1997HISTORICAL TREND2026

Money borrowed by customers against securities. Rapid growth means more leverage is chasing the market—and more forced selling if prices reverse.

High risk above 25% annual growthSOURCE: FINRA Margin Statistics ↗

03VALUATION

Market value / GDP

THE BUFFETT INDICATOR

218%

Latest quarterly reading

1997HISTORICAL TREND2026

The value of US equities compared with annual economic output. It asks how much investors pay for each dollar the economy produces.

Bubble signal above 180%SOURCE: Federal Reserve / FRED ↗

04CREDIT

Corporate credit spread

1.6%

Lenders are pricing in little risk

1997HISTORICAL TREND2026

The extra yield paid by Baa-rated US companies over 10-year Treasuries. Very tight spreads suggest lenders see little risk and can signal late-cycle complacency.

Complacency below 1.80%SOURCE: Moody's via FRED ↗

05POSITIONING

Household equity allocation

45.8%

Latest quarterly reading

1997HISTORICAL TREND2026

The share of household financial assets held directly or indirectly in equities. A historically high allocation shows how much investor wealth already depends on stocks continuing to perform.

Extreme above 45%SOURCE: Federal Reserve via FRED ↗

06SENTIMENT

Market volatility

15.2

Quiet, but not euphoric

1997HISTORICAL TREND2026

The VIX reflects expected near-term S&P 500 volatility. Low readings imply confidence; exceptionally low readings can reveal investor complacency.

Complacency below 14SOURCE: Cboe via FRED ↗

HOW TO READ THIS

This stock market bubble score measures how closely today resembles historically overheated US equity markets. It does not predict when prices will turn—or whether they must.

Each indicator is normalized from 0–100 against transparent thresholds, then weighted toward fundamentals: valuation 45%, leverage 25%, positioning 10%, credit 12%, sentiment 8%.

A temperature check, not a crystal ball.

Are we in a stock market bubble? The evidence says yes.

A bubble is not simply a market at an all-time high. It is a market where prices, leverage and confidence detach from the economic fundamentals beneath them. The composite score shows how strongly those conditions align today.

The Shiller CAPE and market-value-to-GDP ratio measure valuation. FINRA margin debt measures leverage. Household equity allocation captures positioning, while credit spreads and the VIX measure risk appetite.

Shiller data via MultplFederal Reserve / FREDDATA CHECKED DAILYFINRA Margin StatisticsFederal Reserve via FREDMoody's via FREDCboe via FRED

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