Every economy sends signals. Most people never learn to read them.
Economic Signals publishes free guides explaining the indicators economists actually watch — employment data, consumer confidence, yield curves and more — and what they tend to mean.
Indicators are noisy. Understanding them doesn't have to be.
Economic data releases come thick and fast, each with its own quirks and caveats. We explain what each indicator actually measures, how reliable it tends to be, and what usually causes it to move.
Indicator by indicator
Each guide isolates one data series and explains what moves it and how it's typically read.
Honest about limitations
We flag revisions, lag times and common misreadings, not just the headline number.
Informational only
All content is educational. We do not sell forecasts, signals for trading, or financial products.
Indicators on the board.
Employment data
What monthly jobs reports measure, and why revisions happen so often.
Consumer confidence
How survey-based indicators capture sentiment, and their limits as predictors.
The yield curve
What an inverted yield curve has historically signalled, and why it's debated.
Leading versus lagging indicators
The difference between data that predicts and data that confirms what's already happened.
Start with our employment data guide.
A free introduction to what jobs reports measure and why they get revised.