{"id":7860,"date":"2025-12-17T14:30:31","date_gmt":"2025-12-17T14:30:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.contentdeployment.co.uk\/quilter\/?p=7860"},"modified":"2025-12-17T14:30:33","modified_gmt":"2025-12-17T14:30:33","slug":"2026-key-themes-for-the-year-ahead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.contentdeployment.co.uk\/quilter\/2025\/12\/17\/2026-key-themes-for-the-year-ahead\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 \u2013 key themes for the year ahead"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The real economic test will show as 2026 progresses – tariff impacts should become more visible <\/td>As the world drifts towards \u2018coalitions of the willing,\u2019 partnerships on defence, climate and trade will likely emerge <\/td>Many firms remain committed to climate targets, though some may downplay their messaging to avoid political scrutiny <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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The US – Trump, midterms and a 250<\/strong>th<\/sup><\/strong> Anniversary!<\/strong> <\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
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2026 will be defined by the unpredictable influence of President Trump. The real economic test will show as 2026 progresses – tariff impacts should become more visible, placing pressure on consumers, supply chains and global growth. A pivotal moment arrives in May, when Jerome Powell steps down – Trump\u2019s pick for the next Federal Reserve Chair will signal whether the central bank\u2019s independence holds or erodes. On 3 <\/strong>November 2026, all 435 House seats and 35 Senate seats are contested in mid-term elections. With Republicans holding a slim House majority, Democrats view this as their chance to reassert influence. And America\u2019s 250th<\/sup> anniversary will no doubt amplify political spectacle and national introspection. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Global geopolitics – a new order emerging<\/strong> <\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
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As the world continues to drift towards \u2018coalitions of the willing,\u2019 partnerships on defence, climate and trade will likely emerge. Although China enters 2026 with its own economic headwinds – deflation, slowing growth and excess industrial capacity \u2013 \u2018America First\u2019 creates opportunities for Beijing to extend its influence – as Trump ostracises nations – other alliances forge. One challenge will be keeping US-China relations transactional rather than confrontational. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Europe faces an increasingly difficult balancing act – strengthening defence, maintaining US ties, reviving growth and managing deficits simultaneously. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Conflict hot spots remain fragile: hopes for a lasting peace in Gaza, a continuing war in Ukraine, turmoil in Sudan and Myanmar, and persistent \u2018grey-zone\u2019 pressure from Russia and China in Northern Europe and the South China Sea.  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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AI – booming investment, slow adoption<\/strong> <\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
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American tech giants spent over $400bn on AI data centres and infrastructure in 2025, but revenues total around $50bn. Despite 800 million global ChatGPT users, formal business adoption is still modest, with only around 10% of large firms having embedded AI. The focus for 2026 is speeding up adoption; crucial given AI-linked companies now make up 44% of S&P 500 market cap.  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Climate and clean tech momentum<\/strong> <\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Global emissions\u00a0likely peaked\u00a0in 2025, with clean-tech investment expanding across the Global South. Many firms\u00a0remain\u00a0committed to climate targets,\u00a0though some may downplay their messaging to avoid political scrutiny in Washington.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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It is important to take professional advice before making any decision relating to your personal finances. Information within this document is based on our current understanding and can be subject to change without notice and the accuracy and completeness of the information cannot be guaranteed. It does not provide individual tailored investment advice and is for guidance only. Some rules may vary in different parts of the UK. Tax treatment varies according to individual circumstances and is subject to change. Advice on Cash on Deposit, National Savings Products, Inheritance Tax Planning and Tax Planning are not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.<\/strong> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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All details are believed to be correct at the time of writing (5 December 2025)<\/strong> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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\u202fApprover Quilter Financial Limited and Quilter Financial Services Limited 15\/12\/2025<\/strong> <\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The real economic test will show as 2026 progresses – tariff impacts should become more visible  As the world drifts towards \u2018coalitions of the willing,\u2019 partnerships on defence, climate and trade will likely emerge  Many firms remain committed to climate targets, though some may downplay their messaging to avoid political scrutiny  The US – Trump, midterms and a 250th Anniversary!  2026 will be defined by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"hd_content_source":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.contentdeployment.co.uk\/quilter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7860"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.contentdeployment.co.uk\/quilter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.contentdeployment.co.uk\/quilter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.contentdeployment.co.uk\/quilter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.contentdeployment.co.uk\/quilter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7860"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new.contentdeployment.co.uk\/quilter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7860\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7861,"href":"https:\/\/new.contentdeployment.co.uk\/quilter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7860\/revisions\/7861"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.contentdeployment.co.uk\/quilter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7860"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.contentdeployment.co.uk\/quilter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7860"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.contentdeployment.co.uk\/quilter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7860"},{"taxonomy":"hd_content_source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.contentdeployment.co.uk\/quilter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hd_content_source?post=7860"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}