We may be getting an early, ambiguous signal that the economy is weakening.

The ultimate source of those earlier unidentified signals was somewhere well outside the system.

"The early signals are meeting our expectations, and it looks as if we may have some supply problems on the camera side," he said.

Many took the Fed's statement as an early signal that rate increases might be in store by late spring.

"It may be an early signal of more widespread circulation problems."

On foreign and defense policy, the early signals look less divisive.

And the banks no longer have any early signal that customers are in trouble.

This early signal allows the main computer to continue working even though the data has not actually been written yet.

And, thinking this, she knew that the thought itself was the first, faint, early signal of recovery.

So is this, if I'm picking up the early signals correctly.