Economic Outlook - The U.S. economy is expected to experience solid growth in 2026, with lower unemployment and slightly reduced inflation compared to 2025 [2][9] - Vanguard's forecast for 2026 includes a drop in the unemployment rate to 4.2% from 4.6% in November 2025, driven by increased investments in AI and other projects [7] Employment and Job Market - The job market is anticipated to rebound in 2026 after a sluggish performance in 2025, as businesses increase investments and economic growth drives demand for workers [7][9] Economic Growth - GDP growth is projected at 2.25% for 2026, supported by strong investment numbers and fiscal policy changes, particularly tax cuts from the "One Big, Beautiful Bill" [7][10] Inflation Trends - Inflation is expected to remain elevated due to the continued impact of tariffs, with consumer prices rising by 2.6% in 2026, slightly down from 2.8% in September 2025 [10][11]

Chicago Fed President Goulsby on squawkbox this morning defending the validity of BLS data and the shortcomings of relying just on private sector sources. Joining us here at Post9 this morning to talk more about it, Goldman Sachs chief economist John Hotsi is who normally joins us on jobs Friday. A little bit different today.It's a jobs Friday except they're not jobs. Yes. Do you do you feel like you're flying blind or no.He seems to think that um BLS is still the gold standard. Oh, for sure. It's a signifi ...