Get an in-depth look at our 2026 macroeconomic expectations and discover their implications from a budgeting and planning perspective.
While the fall brings mild weather across a wide swath of the US, the angst that business leaders are feeling while preparing for 2026 is anything but mild.
Economic uncertainty remains high even though, from a data perspective, uncertainty has eased significantly from earlier in the year. We are fielding questions like “How can I plan in this environment?”, “Are we headed into a recession?”, and “Is hyperinflation coming our way?” Fortunately, the answers are simple even if the backdrop is not: there is a lot you can still plan for effectively, no we are not in a recession (instead, expect mild economic growth), and inflation will be elevated, not extreme.
Join Senior Forecaster and Keynote Speaker Connor Lokar as he walks through what this means for your business and your related markets. Planning in this business cycle requires more data and information, not less. Uncertainty, tariffs, sticky long-term interest rates, and other developments have created sets of winners and losers. Knowing what that means for your business is essential to understanding how to allocate your resources to make the most of 2026.
The vast majority of businesses are also contending with margin pressures as elevated labor, input, and other costs collide. Connor will draw on his and ITR Economics’ expertise to show how firms can work to mitigate these issues and make 2026 the most profitable year it can be.
How can you trust our insights? We understand the skepticism, but our methodology has held up well despite the gyrations and machinations of the geopolitical landscape. Our second-quarter US Real GDP outlook was 99.9% accurate more than one year out. High accuracy and considerable longevity hold true for other key forecasts as well, like our consumer and producer price forecasts and our Retail Sales outlook. We maintain this accuracy because our data-based, apolitical methodology cuts through the noise and focuses on what matters most for the economy and major markets.
This webinar recording is an Insider member exclusive! Sign up today to receive this complimentary recording later this month, and receive answers to questions like:
- "How can I plan effectively in a high-uncertainty economic environment?"
- "Are we heading into a recession, or is growth still on the horizon?"
- "How can my business manage rising costs and protect margins heading into 2026?"
