HIGH RISE, HARD TIMES: From the Empire State Building to today's Jeddah Tower, the easiest way to predict a recession has always been the appearance of a new world's tallest building.

The article explores how record-breaking skyscrapers often signal impending financial crises, tracing this pattern from New York's supertall towers to global examples like Dubai's Burj Khalifa. Topics include the "skyscraper index" as an economic omen, the capitalist origins of tall buildings; and socialist architectural alternatives like Warsaw's Palace of Culture and Science.