Blackworks Capital

Systematic Insights

Market perspectives, fund updates, and insights on systematic investing from the team at Blackworks Capital.

Weekly Market Read

Monday, 14 September 2026

S&P 500 −1.09% on the week as the 10-year jumps to 4.95% and oil surges past $100; Wednesday's FOMC decides the rate path.

Hot inflation pushed the 10-year to 4.95% and a weekend oil shock lifted Brent above $108, while credit stayed calm and earnings kept beating. Wednesday's FOMC decision lands into an options structure that would amplify a surprise in either direction.

The Five Forces this week
MacroMIXEDRates and inflation are the point of stress while credit remains calm and financial conditions stay loose.
TechnicalMIXEDThe long-term uptrend is intact across the major indexes, but leadership has narrowed to the largest companies and smaller names have slipped.
Options positioningAMPLIFYINGDealer positioning and expensive tail protection mean any surprise from the Fed would be mechanically amplified in either direction.
FundamentalsSUPPORTIVEEarnings are beating expectations one-sidedly and estimates are rising while the market has not paid up for them.
SentimentNEUTRALInvestor mood is balanced, with institutions paying for protection but no extreme of fear or complacency on show.
Artificial Intelligence

AI Mini-Series Part XI: Obedient by Design: Why a Model That Takes Guidance Well Needs Room to Disagree

Part 11 of a series on building and testing an AI layer for our systematic framework. This one is about our operating record: what our independent manager did with the slack we gave it in the sixth piece, how far we swung toward structure in response, and where we now draw the line between structure and judgment.

Blackworks Capital Team · September 3, 2026

Brooks Falls, Alaska

Artificial Intelligence

AI Mini-Series Part IX: The Control Group: Proving an AI Investment Process Is Real, Not Just Plausible

Part 9 of a series on building and testing an AI layer for our systematic framework. This one is about the hardest question in the project: how do you know an AI investment process is actually working, when it cannot be backtested? Our answer runs every night, and it was built to be impossible to argue with.

Blackworks Capital Team · September 3, 2026

Sol Duc Falls, Washington

Systematic Investing

Treasury Intervention: History Rhyming

Treasury doubled its long-end buybacks to push the 30-year off a 19-year high. They ran this exact play in 2023. What the arithmetic and that scorecard actually say.

Blackworks Capital Team · August 19, 2026

Outer Banks, North Carolina