Over the past two days, we have looked at the signs that a recession is coming, going so far as trying to time it to the middle of next year. What we haven’t done is look at perhaps the most important question: how bad will the recession be when it hits? After all, the timing may not matter that much, but whether it’s going to be mild or severe certainly makes a difference.

Yesterday, I discussed how the recent un-inversion of the yield curve suggests a recession is likely in the next year. So, I thought I would extend the same analysis to the other three indicators we follow here on the blog. Looking at one indicator is valuable, but we really need to evaluate all four to see if they align with one another—or not.

I appeared on CNBC's Nightly Business Report (my segment starts at 4:43) on Monday to discuss the industrial sector. Listen in to learn more.

Today, we are going to do some “inside-baseball” analysis around the recent changes in interest rates and what they mean. Normally, I try not to get too far into the weeds here on the blog. But interest rates and the yield curve have gotten a lot of attention, and the recent headlines are not actually all that helpful. So, put on your thinking caps because we’re going to get a bit technical.

Last week was relatively quiet for economic news—the few major reports released related to international trade and service sector and consumer confidence. The trade deficit narrowed as expected, while service sector and consumer confidence both increased by more than anticipated. This week, a little more action is forthcoming, as we’re expecting updates on consumer and producer inflation, retail sales, and industrial production.

Last night, I spoke at a client event for one of our Commonwealth advisors. As usual, it was a great group—thoughtful, interested, full of great questions. And, of course, worried. Worried about politics, worried about the debt and deficit, and, most of all, worried about what all of this means for their kids.

My colleague Sam Millette, senior investment research analyst on Commonwealth’s Investment Management and Research team, has helped me put together this month’s Market Risk Update. Thanks for the assist, Sam!

Is the market trading on fundamentals or politics? I discussed this and more today on Yahoo Finance’s On the Move.

My colleague Sam Millette, senior investment research analyst on Commonwealth’s Investment Management and Research team, has helped me put together this month’s Economic Risk Factor Update. Thanks for the assist, Sam!

The economic data released in October largely came in better than expected, with increasing service sector and consumer confidence offsetting some of the declines we saw in September. Job creation also came in better than anticipated, and the yield curve normalized for the first time in months. Despite these positive results, the longer-term trends continue to deteriorate, suggesting there are still very real risks in the economy that should be monitored going forward.

September and October are historically the two weakest months of the year, and markets did enter October in a nervous state. September ended on a positive note, but there was a drop that continued into the start of October. That decline took away all of the gains from the prior month and threatened to take the markets even lower. This move would have made sense, as the economic news was weakening. But markets went on to rebound and have a very good month. That reversal is the story of last month and very possibly of this one.