Yield Curve

Plot the interest rate on government debt against how long you'd have to lend the money for, three months, two years, ten years, thirty years, and you get the yield curve. Its normal shape slopes upward: longer loans pay more. Investors, economists, and reporters watch its shape closely because changes in that shape, especially an inversion, tend to say something real about where the economy is headed, often well before it shows up in jobs numbers or growth figures.