How economists (and TikTok) know if a recession is coming 22x67

Lately we've noticed that something we think about all the time here at Planet Money is having a...

Lately we've noticed that something we think about all the time here at Planet Money is having a viral moment: recession indicators!

From the more practical (like sales for lipstick going up and men's underwear going down) to the absurd and nonsensical (like babysitter buns coming back into style?) — people are posting to social media every little sign they see that a recession is coming. And we LOVE it. Because between the trade war and the tariffs and the stock market, there has been a lot of economic uncertainty over the last few months and we want to talk about it, too.

Today on the show — we dig into the slightly wonkier indicators that economists look at when they're trying to answer the question behind the viral internet trend: Is a recession coming?

This episode of Planet Money was produced by James Sneed. It was edited by Marianne McCune, fact-checked by Sarah McClure, and engineered by Cena Loffredo. Alex Goldmark is our executive producer.

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Music: Source Audio - "The Shirt Still Fits," "Chameleon Panther Style," and "Nighthawk."

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