Glossary

US Treasury yields

Also called 10-year yield, 2-year yield, yield curve, inversion

The yields on US government debt, quoted by maturity: the 2-year, the 10-year and others.

Why watch the spread between long and short yields?

The 2-year yield follows expectations for the policy rate; the 10-year reflects longer views of growth and inflation and feeds into mortgage rates and stock valuations.

When the 10-year yield minus the 2-year yield turns negative the curve is inverted, which has often come before past recessions.

Whalegun's economic data page shows the 2-year and 10-year yields and the spread between them.