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HY Credit Spread (OAS)

ICE BofA US High Yield Index option-adjusted spread (%, daily)

PropertyValue
Categorymacro
Unit%
Resolution1d
AssetsMACRO
TierBasic
API EndpointGET /v1/macro/spreads
Fieldhy_credit_spread

Overview

ICE BofA US High Yield Master II Option-Adjusted Spread (FRED BAMLH0A0HYM2). Measures the credit-risk premium that investors demand for holding US speculative-grade ("junk") corporate bonds versus equivalent-duration US Treasuries. Daily frequency, expressed in percent.

Interpretation

  • Tight HY spreads (low values): risk-on regime, abundant liquidity, easy financial conditions — historically favourable for BTC.
  • Wide HY spreads (high values): credit stress, recession fears, tightening conditions — historically coincident with BTC drawdowns.
  • Sudden spread blowouts often precede broad risk-off events across all asset classes.

Use Cases

  • Use as the cleanest single read on credit-market stress for BTC macro overlays.
  • Combine with macro_vix to build a composite financial-stress indicator.
  • Watch for divergences between HY spreads and BTC price as an early warning of regime change.

API Usage

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
"https://api.blocklens.co/v1/macro/spreads?start_date=2024-01-01&end_date=2024-12-31&limit=365"