Expect a year of strife in the US and progress elsewhere

The Year 1926 saw remarkable change around the world.

- NARAYAN RAMACHANDRAN

Fidel Castro and Queen Elizabeth II were born that year. With the benefit of hindsight, the world was between two large-scale wars. British India held its third general election following the 1919 Montagu Chelmsford reforms enshrined in an Act. A hundred years on, things have changed a bit, but some things are distressingly the same.Before we get to 2026, here is a quick report card on my trend predictions last year for 2025. Donald Trump and Elon Musk did fall out, proving yet again that uber egos will dominate logic every time. As expected, the US market did less well than Europe and emerging markets, marking an end to the age of US exceptionalism. In cricket, the Indian men's team had a mixed year, with coaching and selection looking rather mercurial, while the women's team shone. 'Agentic' is a lead candidate among businesses for word of the year, but 'vibe coding' and 'slop' are more popular with consumers.

And now for 2026, categorized as usual in terms of probability.