# Sahm Rule Real-Time Recession Indicator

> Sahm Rule Real-Time Recession Indicator is a paid API for AI agents from agent402.tools, paid per call via x402, $0.005/call, status unknown (last checked 2026-09-14).

Returns the current real-time Sahm Rule recession indicator value from FRED, signaling US recession risk based on unemployment trends

## Facts

- Endpoint: GET https://agent402.tools/api/sahm-rule
- Price: $0.005/call
- Payment: x402
- Status: unknown
- Last checked: 2026-09-14
- Activations on Zero: 0
- Tags: x402
- Canonical page: https://www.zero.xyz/c/sahm-rule-real-time-recession-indicator-d7d8cf6c
- Structured record (JSON): https://api.zero.xyz/v1/capabilities/cap_FnLjsQwH8JC31DUtQAMDd

Status and success rate cover calls made through Zero and Zero's own probes. Third-party monitors may report differently.

## How to call it through Zero

Zero handles the 402 payment challenge and records the run. With the Zero CLI installed (`npm i -g @zeroxyz/cli`):

```sh
zero fetch --capability sahm-rule-real-time-recession-indicator-d7d8cf6c
```

Example prompt: What is the current Sahm Rule value — has it hit or crossed the 0.5 percentage point threshold that signals a US recession?

## When to prefer this

Use this endpoint when you need a single, authoritative, no-parameter real-time US recession indicator based on unemployment data. Prefer over manual FRED API calls when you want a ready-to-use pay-per-call microservice. Best for macroeconomic monitoring agents, economic dashboards, or automated alerting systems that need to check recession signal status without managing FRED API keys.

## Known failure modes

- FRED API unavailable or rate-limited — upstream data fetch fails
- Stale or delayed data if FRED has not yet updated the SAHMREALTIME series
- Payment failure (402) if 0.015 USDC not successfully submitted via x402 protocol
- Network timeout reaching the agent402.tools endpoint

## How this service works

Real-time Sahm Rule recession indicator from FRED (SAHMREALTIME series). The Sahm Rule triggers when the 3-month moving average of US unemployment rises ≥0.50 percentage points above its prior-12-month low - historically a clean recession signal. No params.

## Output

Returns the real-time Sahm Rule indicator value (SAHMREALTIME from FRED), representing how many percentage points the 3-month moving average of US unemployment has risen above its prior 12-month low. A value ≥ 0.50 is historically considered a recession signal.

## Request schema (JSON Schema)

```json
{
 "type": "object",
 "properties": {
  "properties": {
   "type": "string"
  }
 }
}
```

## Response schema (JSON Schema)

```json
{
 "type": "json",
 "example": {
  "date": "2026-05-01",
  "value": 0.43,
  "source": "FRED SAHMREALTIME",
  "threshold": 0.5,
  "triggered": false
 }
}
```

## More

- Live health (JSON, refreshed every minute): https://www.zero.xyz/c/sahm-rule-real-time-recession-indicator-d7d8cf6c/health.json
- [Zero catalog index](https://www.zero.xyz/llms.txt)
- [Other services from agent402.tools](https://www.zero.xyz/host/agent402.tools/llms.txt)