There’s good news for 2026. In the words of our chief economist, the year ahead will likely manage to deliver some “pretty decent growth.” This month's webcast highlights multiple forces supporting economic expansion, yet questions remain: Government shutdown resolved but risk remains : The record 43-day U.S. government shutdown has ended, providing a 1+ percentage point boost to Q1 2026 growth as activity normalizes. However, does another shutdown loom ahead? Central banks resuming rate cuts : The U.S. Federal Reserve is expected to cut rates again in December, with more easing likely across 2026. Combined with falling oil prices and strong stock market performance, will monetary policy prove to be an increasingly good friend of growth? AI bubble concerns remain : Markets have turned jittery over AI company valuations. But these enterprises have significant earnings and aren't deploying all their free cash flow into capital expenditures. Will their investments in AI pay off? Some U.S. tariff pressures easing : The U.S. has reduced tariffs on some food products and struck new deals with several countries, bringing the average tariff rate down slightly. Will this cost-of-living focus lead to further selective tariff reductions on products causing consumer pain? Gold rally still has room to run : The strong gold bull market in 2025 has seen 250% gains. Yet the average increase in previous rallies was 671%. Is there a further upside ahead for precious metals? All this and more in this month's webcast.