Darius Dale on the Fourth Turning, Fiscal Dominance, and the Case for a Melt-Up

Macro strategist Darius Dale returns to Excess Returns with a deep dive into the seismic shifts shaping markets today. From the implications of the Fourth Turning to the systemic risks of fiscal dominance, Dale shares how he’s helping investors stay on the right side of market risk using quantitative tools and macro insights from 42 Macro. This episode covers everything from inflation, tariffs, and AI to a systematic framework for navigating regime change in real time. Whether you're a retail investor or an institutional pro, this conversation is packed with insights that matter. 🔍 In This Episode: The Fourth Turning’s impact on markets and society Why inflation, income inequality, and geopolitical turmoil are converging How Darius's market regime model (Dr. Mo) systematically adapts to risk What the “KISS” model portfolio is—and how it outperforms 60/40 Why recession models failed and how Darius sees the economy now The overlooked growth shock from policy—not just tariffs How AI may shift the economic power structure even more dramatically Why he believes the long-term outlook is structurally bullish (despite the chaos) ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00 – Opening macro warning and Fourth Turning setup 02:44 – Darius on working with Neil Howe and implications of generational shifts 04:13 – How the Fourth Turning creates fiscal dominance and financial repression 08:21 – Explaining the market regime system and Dr. Mo 14:33 – What institutions get wrong and how volatility front-runs momentum 17:13 – The origin of 42 Macro and mission to democratize institutional-grade tools 18:35 – Case study: When the model turned bullish in April 21:23 – Why tariffs don’t derail the model 23:41 – Why recession signals failed & how Dale reads the cycle differently 30:13 – Why Dale is still pounding the table on U.S. resilience 35:11 – Paradigm A → B → C: the evolution of economic policy under pressure 43:49 – Will AI fuel an i-shaped economy? Or something better? 50:28 – Inside the “KISS” model portfolio and its 25% average annual return 🔗 Learn more at 42macro.com 📊 Follow Darius Dale on X: @42macroDDale