Here is the strange thing about recessions: by the time economists formally agree one has arrived, everyone already knows. The layoffs have started. Earnings calls sound funereal. Headlines quietly replace “soft landing” with “unexpected headwinds,” which is analyst for we did not see this coming. But markets—bless their impatient little hearts—don’t wait for consensus. They sniff trouble early. And sometimes they do it using signals so obvious that experts dismiss them as unserious. Which brings us to the Parking Lot Indicator. No spreadsheets. No econometric models. No ten-year yield curve debates that end in shrug emojis. Just empty parking spaces. And yes, they matter more than most forecasts. The Indicator Nobody Wants to Acknowledge The Parking Lot Indicator is not a formal index. You won’t find it on Bloomberg. It doesn’t come with quarterly revisions or footnotes. It exists entirely in the real world, where people drive places, buy things, and decide—often subconsciously...