If someone such as a politician or businessman sends out smoke signals, they give an indication of their views and intentions. This indication is oftennot clear and needs to be worked out.
The smoke signals from the central bank suggest further cuts are coming. [+ from]
smoke signal in British English
(sməʊk ˈsɪɡnəl)
noun
if somebody, such as a politician or businessperson sends out smoke signals, they give an indication of their views and intentions. This indication is often not clear and needs to be worked out; coded message
The smoke signals from the central bank suggest further cuts are coming.