🔥 2026: The Hardest Year Yet?

Certainty has not been with us for a long time. It began unraveling during the populist shocks of the late 2010s, fractured further with the pandemic, deepened with a war of aggression in Europe, and was shaken again by renewed political turmoil in Washington. By comparison, 2025 almost felt like an “easy” year. I suspect 2026 may be the toughest yet.

The U.S. government shutdown could not have had a more peculiar timing. It has frozen jobs, inflation, and trade data at the very moment markets need clarity most. Now we are left guessing. One can’t help but wonder if the numbers are so weak that delaying them feels safer than publishing them.

Meanwhile, the signals are troubling. The world is sliding toward a global bear market with rising recession risk and almost certain jobs crisis in USA and Europe. Employment growth is slowing, supply chains remain fragile, and confidence is deteriorating.

Technology, once the growth engine, may add to the turmoil. European tech core is in shambles after tariff tantrums. The AI bubble looks stretched, echoing the dot-com era. When it bursts, the damage will spill across industries.

For professionals, the fallout is real. Agile roles are contracting, and AI jobs are no safe bet either. The “future of work” is not arriving predictably.

What can we do? Prepare and pan out. Learning a new skill might be a good idea. Stay adaptive, and let go of old assumptions about stability. When structures crumble, they can fall violently. I’m moving my assets so they are quick to sell, if need be.

If 2025 was the breather, then 2026 may be the stress test. Good luck.