The tailwind for U.S. growth blowing from the financial markets hasn’t been this strong since before the dot-com crisis.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s index of financial conditions broke through its internet bubble trough to reach a record low Monday, signaling that the economy may be poised to pick up steam. The index tracks changes in interest rates, credit spreads, equity prices, and the value of the greenback, with a lower reading suggesting expansion lies ahead.

Outgoing New York Fed President William Dudley, who helped develop the gauge while at Goldman Sachs in the late 1990s, recently suggested that this dynamic "pushes on the side of going faster" with policy normalization.