But these have failed to bring down overall Medicare costs, a key indicator of medical costs generally.

ECONOMIST: Tort reform

Online companies pounce on every whisper or cryptic comment from Google about how it ranks pages as an indicator--up or down--of how online traffic will flow for millions of Web sites.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Core private-sector machine orders - seen as a key indicator of corporate investment - were down by 4% from 2006.

BBC: NEWS | Business | Fresh worries on Japanese economy

Imports, another crucial indicator of economic activity, were also down for the first two months of the second quarter.

FORBES: Recovery In China? Not So Fast

Still, Apple shares remain up 25% for the year to date and if recent iPhone 4S sales are any indicator, the company shows no signs of slowing down.

FORBES: Despite Record iPhone Sales, Apple Shares Dip

Look for more paralysis impacting the stock market down and the bond market up, as interest rates decline as a leading indicator of a slowdown that is bound to be unpleasant for everyone but the super-rich.

FORBES: The Downgrade Was For Political Reasons

The ZEW economic-sentiment indicator dropped more than expected in April, helping send Germany's DAX index down 0.4%.

WSJ: Dow Rebounds With 158-Point Gain

"This is another negative indication on top of the missing Santa Claus Rally, a down First Five Days and the Dow closing below its December closing low on January 21 triggering the December Low Indicator, " says Hirsh, who adds that the market is completing a two-year bearish "three peaks and a domed house" pattern coined by technical analyst George Lindsay.

FORBES: Market Looks For Lift From Underdog Eagles

Bond spreads are an indicator of growth: investors are happy to take the risk of owning corporate bonds, and spreads come down, when the economy, and thus business revenues, are strengthening.

ECONOMIST: Why are both Treasury bonds and gold performing so well?