English coal miners, starting around 1911, would put a canary in the coal mine to warn them of air quality problems. This practice of two canaries in each pit continued until 1986, at which times electronic sensors went into use. In the world of economics, there are also things which are the equivalent of a canary in a coal mine. This week we will look at yield curves in England. Can we look over the pond and see the future of the US economy?

But before we get into that, let's look at something far more important.