The Yield Curve: What Is It Really Predicting?

The yield curve is now as widely followed by the financial press as movie stars are followed by paparazzi. The tabloids often comment on any noticeable changes in the physical features of the celebrities they stalk. Similarly, the financial paparazzi are obsessed with the shape of the yield curve.

The spread between the "long end" and the "short end" of the curve is widely deemed to be a great leading indicator of recessions when it goes negative. Such yield "inversions" do have a good track...