Global Scans · Economy · Weekly Summary

DRIVER: The global economy still faces serious headwinds and political uncertainty potentially balanced by the enormous promise of technological advancements in many fields. Read on to get a solid handle on the opportunities and risks you and your organization may likely face and set your sails accordingly.

• [New] The US economy added +130,000 jobs in January, far exceeding the median forecast of +68,000 anticipated in a Bloomberg survey of economists. Staffing Industry Analysts
• [New] By 2035, 5G will support more than 22 million jobs globally and contribute $13.2 trillion to the world economy. PA Global
• [New] AI will affect 40% of jobs globally, and as much as 60% in advanced economies. Harvard Data Science Review
• [New] Global banking sector net interest income is forecast to grow by more than 7%, even as policy rates begin to decline across major economies. MEXC
• [New] Affordable-housing investment in advanced markets is forecast to rise 17-20% in 2026, supported by expanded tax-credit allocations and public-private programs. MEXC
• [New] Commodities are forecast to account for about 5.7-6% of alternative assets by 2026, as investors add exposure for inflation and diversification. MEXC
• [New] Rural Hospital Risk: About 30% of rural hospitals face closure risk due to chronic underfunding, threatening access to care for one-fifth of the U.S. population and significant rural economic activity. ACEC
• [New] In the US, extending a healthy lifespan by one year could generate an estimated $38 trillion in economic value by improving productivity of people. World Governments Summit
• [New] Global investors are misreading where risk and opportunity now sit, as the economic and geopolitical regime that dominated markets for two decades has broken down. TrustNet
• [New] US likely to run hot in 2026: Any weakening could be met with fiscal measures as administration has little tolerance for a recession. RSMR Investment Research
• [New] Capgemini is even more bullish, estimating that agentic AI could generate $450 Billion in economic value within two years. sun-times
• [New] General enterprise AI adoption is projected to be 80% + in production usage by 2026. Boston Institute of Analytics
• [New] Morgan Stanley projects a V-shaped path, with the dollar index falling to 94 in Q2 2026 before rebounding to 100 by year-end, potentially supported by stronger growth, higher interest rates, and fiscal stimulus from the One Big Beautiful Bill. Yahoo Finance UK
• [New] Electricity prices will rise through 2026. Yahoo Finance
• [New] Overall revenue is expected to grow 52% in fiscal 2026, reaching $94 billion, driven by AI and infrastructure software from the VMware acquisition. 24/7 Wall St.
• [New] Appalachian production will grow slightly by 0.3 Bcf/d in 2026 and then by 0.5 Bcf/d in 2027. EIA - Energy Information Administration
• [New] Prices will rise another 6% through 2027 as data centers make up 40% of electricity demand growth. Ainvest
• [New] The Wall Street brokerage expects the number of IPOs to double to 120 in 2026, as improving economic growth, stronger equity prices and easier financial conditions revive dealmaking appetite. / USA Sophic Capital
• [New] ANZ Research expects consumer spending to have increased by 2.7% year on year in 2025 (excluding inflation) and similar growth is likely to continue into 2026 and 2027, with some downside risk given the recent rate hike. ANZ
• [New] HSBC expects inference demand to surpass training requirements over time, driving sustained growth in compute consumption as agentic AI becomes pervasive. Proactiveinvestors NA

Last updated: 17 February 2026