10 questions for 2026’s do-it-yourself economic forecast

It’s officially economic forecast season.
As punctual as any holiday tradition, all the gurus polish their crystal balls to reveal their glossy business outlooks for the coming year.
Their work is curiously detailed, with seemingly exacting projections for numerous economic variables. These estimates look and feel authoritative, whether in fancy printed or digital form, especially when the outlook’s data includes multiple decimal places.
But for all that effort, the consensus usually