Bangalore: Now that inflation is everywhere, is your employer giving you a hike in your pay? Are you living on shoe string budget when everything around you is getting expensive from fuel prices to your utilities? Does your instinct tell you something? Do your fear another recession? The term recession is so widespread ever since the 2008 financial meltdown. It has become a hot topic of discussion wherever we go. People in the U.S. felt the sting of the recent recession. And the unemployment rate was just below 9 percent for the first time in two years during the month of February. Though no one likes or wants a recession, almost everyone appears reconciled to one in the United States. Did you know till date there have been eight recessions since 1914? Three lasted for a single year, (in 1953, 1957 and again in 1990). The longest recession was actually the "Great Depression" which lasted ten years from 1929 to 1939. Fears of U.S. recession led to panic in the Indian stock market. Here are some of the warning signs that the economy is about to enter a recession in easy, non-technical terms. Increase in Prices The increase in prices of various commodities is called inflation. When you find the price of fuel, food and other utilities gradually escalating, it a signal to alert you recession is coming soon. Consider the fuel prices. It is increasing at an alarming rate. People at large are already fuming after state-run oil retailers announced a hike of 3.14 per liter in petrol prices, the 10th time since the government decided to free this essential fuel from price controls in June last year. High gas prices mean less driving, and less driving means less spending. It's a cycle that could easily spiral out of control if the numbers on those price boards keep climbing.