Currency Stress Index — September 2026: 17.4

The Currency Stress Index started September at its low point of 15 on September 7th. Tension began rising mid-month after the Fed raised interest rates for the first time since 2023 to combat inflation. Stress continued to climb and reached a peak of 22 on September 24th, driven by headlines about a crisis facing Europe's car makers and the threat of war. Things calmed down slightly on September 25th following a CBO report showing that higher interest rates add trillions to the national debt. The index ultimately averaged 17.4 for the month.

Peak 22 on 2026-09-24 · low 15 on 2026-09-07 · locked record · ← August · Currency Stress Index timeline · October → · World Tension, same month

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• Could US pull one-third of troops from Europe? What that would mean Al Jazeera · 2026-09-19
• Europe's car makers are in crisis. Will the threat of war rescue them? BBC Business · 2026-09-23
• How is Europe dealing with ‘hybrid war’? Al Jazeera · 2026-09-22
• Russian hybrid attacks against Europe intensifying, says Macron BBC World · 2026-09-18
• Dollar rises as Middle East conflict lifts oil, Fed hike looms Reuters · 2026-09-14
• EXCLUSIVE: How a billion-dollar sanctions dodge kept Chinese goods flowing to Iran Reuters · 2026-09-09
• Fed raises interest rates for first time since 2023, defying Trump as inflation mounts NBC News · 2026-09-16

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