Experts painted a rosy picture for the US economy for the year ahead. Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal increased their estimates for growth in both 2025 and 2026, while Apollo’s chief economist noted prediction markets have slashed their bets on a recession . Goldman Sachs’ chief US economist went further, arguing that the bank’s “ strongest conviction views for 2026 are our above-consensus GDP growth forecast and our below-consensus inflation forecast.” That bullish outlook is in keeping with improving forecasts for global growth . But not everyone is convinced: One leading economist who forecast the dot-com bubble and the 2008 financial crash is voicing worry of an AI bubble , and US voters are increasingly rating the economy as weak . — Prashant Rao