SEPTEMBER was a tough month for investors as the US stock market crashed, but the apparent cause may have baffled many as financial analysts blamed it on a mysterious force called the yield curve.
Apparently, this curve has the power to predict the future, in particular whether the economy is heading for a recession, which seems to be the case today.
So what is this oracle and how does it work? The yield curve is a simple line that plots the interest rates paid by bonds running for different periods of time, say, two, five, 10 or 30 years.
Bond yields typically follow a sloping upward curve, as short-dated bonds pay lower rates of interest, which steadily rise for bonds with a longer maturity.
In normal times, a two-year bond may yield, say, 3 per cent, a five-year bond may yield 3.4 per cent and a 10-year bond around 4 per cent. It is the same principle with fixed-rate savings bonds, an everyday savings product sold by banks and building societies. Savers would normally expect a higher rate of interest if they locked their money away for five years, rather than one or two.
Denne historien er fra October 01, 2023-utgaven av Sunday Express.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra October 01, 2023-utgaven av Sunday Express.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
VAR is losing its appeal for fuming Frank
A BRENTFORD barricade following skipper Christian Norgaard's red card earned Thomas Frank's side their first away point of the campaign.
Worst Welsh run piles pressure on boss Gatland
WALES slumped to a 12th straight Test defeat as the pressure ramped up for head coach Warren Gatland at Principality Stadium.
Londoners waiting for home 'exiled' to North
COUNCIL chiefs have been warned they may be breaking the law by sending thousands of people on housing waiting lists in London to the North and the Midlands.
New drug for blood cancer a 'game-changer'
PATIENTS with a rare and deadly form of blood cancer have been \"given a second chance\" by a game-changing new drug.
How satellites pose threat to nuclear subs
HUGE leaps in satellite technology will make Britain's nuclear missilecarrying submarines less of a deterrent to China and Russia.
Rescue centres in crisis over rise in dumped dogs
THE RSPCA has warned of a shocking rise in pets being abandoned across the country, many in desperate need of care.
Paul's in-laws sell up to end village pub row
PAUL Hollywood's in-laws have sold their 600-year-old pub and ended a bitter row with villagers who have declared \"war is over\".
Monster deals for return of Thrones
GAME OF Thrones stars are set to be offered huge new deals to return for a big-budget movie sequel.
When arch pop rivals sang together as one...
BAND Aid creator Sir Bob Geldof has revealed the chart-stopping bands on Do They Know it's Christmas? \"could not stand each other\".
Trump 'may save Biden Jr from jail’
PRESIDENT Joe Biden's son Hunter is facing the grim prospect of being sentenced to prison twice in the space of just three days next month.