From Labubus and men’s underwear to lipstick and skirt hems, signs pointing to or away from a recession are everywhere. Whether they’re accurate indicators of the economy's health is another matter.
Cardboard-box sales have seen the biggest contraction since the Great Recession of 2008-2009. Packaging Corp. of America just reported an almost 10% year-on-year slump in second-quarter shipments.
Demand for cardboard boxes has dropped to levels not seen since the 2008 financial crisis. Cardboard boxes are seen as an under-the-radar economic indicator as they are crucial to ecommerce. US box ...