Why Yields & Oil Inhibit Rally Broadening
When equity bull markets initiate, leadership is typically concentrated in cash-rich mega-cap tech conglomerates with bulletproof balance sheets that act as synthetic bonds. A "broadening" refers to participation rotating outward into small-caps, industrials, financials, and consumer cyclicals.
Surging 10-year Treasury yields raise the hurdle rate (WACC) for debt-dependent mid/small companies, while elevated crude oil acts as an immediate tax on consumer discretionary spending and operating margins.
The Quantitative Model
The simulator evaluates cross-asset factor returns using empirical rolling betas:
R_i = α + β_{yield} × ΔYield + β_{oil} × ΔCrude + γ_{fed} × Stance.
Advance/Decline totals and % of members above moving averages are dynamically modeled through logistic dispersion curves derived from sector beta spreads.
Equal-weight S&P 500 (RSP) performance relative to market-cap (SPY) directly reflects whether the average stock is participating or whether the index is propped up by top-10 concentration.