Business trends, wild cards and companies to watch in 2026
Where power, profits and pressure points are likely to lie across five key sectors
Where power, profits and pressure points are likely to lie across five key sectors

The defining market themes of 2025

While markets were buoyant this year, volatility is never far away

Chips, gold and guns have triumphed while ad companies and private equity struggled

We are living in a ‘barbell’ world where international threat meets technological opportunity

And the public private assets paradox

Interest in AI and defence tech start-ups has boosted investor activity after a prolonged slowdown