- Will the US economy be overheating at the end of 2026?86¢86%
- Will the US economy be in a soft landing at the end of 2026?12¢12%
- Will the US economy have slack at the end of 2026?<1¢<1%
- Will the US economy be in stagflation at the end of 2026?<1¢<1%
- 10%86,3%Overheating (Unemployment <5.0%, Inflation ≥3.5%)$ 50,3K vol.
- 8%11,8%Soft Landing (Unemployment <5.0%, Inflation <3.5%)$ 55,9K vol.
- 0,2%Slack (Unemployment ≥5.0%, Inflation <3.5%)$ 11,2K vol.
Strong growth, a tight labor market, and energy-driven price pressures are keeping the U.S. economy on track for an overheating scenario by year-end 2026, as reflected in the 88.2% market-implied probability for unemployment below 5.0% paired with inflation at or above 3.5%. Latest data show the unemployment rate at 4.2% in September 2026, with readings holding in the 4.1–4.3% range for months and payroll growth remaining positive though moderating. This level sits well below the 5.0% threshold and signals continued labor market tightness supported by resilient consumer spending and business investment, particularly in AI-related areas. At the same time, headline CPI reached 3.7% year-over-year in September (up from 3.4% in August), driven largely by a sharp rise in energy prices—gasoline alone contributed significantly to the monthly gain—with the energy index up over 20% year-over-year. Core CPI (excluding food and energy) stood at 2.6%, indicating underlying pressures remain sticky. Q3 GDP growth accelerated to a 3.4% annualized rate, with private domestic final purchases rising at a robust 4.9% pace, underscoring demand strength that is sustaining both employment and price momentum. The Federal Reserve has held the federal funds rate in the 3.75–4.00% range while noting elevated inflation and a “strong” economy, with markets pricing in a high likelihood of further tightening by year-end. With only about two months remaining until December 31, 2026, and no major near-term catalysts expected to push unemployment to or above 5.0% or rapidly bring headline inflation below 3.5%, trader consensus heavily favors the overheating outcome. The very low probabilities assigned to slack or stagflation scenarios reflect the absence of recessionary signals or broad labor-market deterioration in recent releases.
Regels
The unemployment rate is defined as the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate (total unemployed as a percent of the civilian labor force, denoted as U-3) reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the Employment Situation release. The inflation rate is defined as the 12-month percent change in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), before seasonal adjustment, as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the Consumer Price Index release. This market will resolve according to the unemployment rate and the inflation rate published for December 2026. If either the December 2026 inflation rate or the December 2026 unemployment rate is not published by January 31, 2027, 11:59 PM ET, this market will resolve based on the most recently published available value of the rate for a month prior to December 2026. This market will resolve to “Soft Landing (Unemployment <5.0%, Inflation <3.5%)” if the unemployment rate is less than 5.0% and the inflation rate is less than 3.5%. This market will resolve to “Stagflation (Unemployment ≥5.0%, Inflation ≥3.5%)” if the unemployment rate is greater than or equal to 5.0% and the inflation rate is greater than or equal to 3.5%. This market will resolve to “Overheating (Unemployment <5.0%, Inflation ≥3.5%)” if the unemployment rate is less than 5.0% and the inflation rate is greater than or equal to 3.5%. This market will resolve to “Slack (Unemployment ≥5.0%, Inflation <3.5%)” if the unemployment rate is greater than or equal to 5.0% and the inflation rate is less than 3.5%. The resolution source for this market will be the Bureau of Labor Statistics, specifically its Employment Situation and Consumer Price Index releases.