Forces shaping markets in 2026

Most episodes of The Barclays Brief focus on a single market theme, but this week we have a special episode for you. Adeel Khan, our Global Head of Markets, joined hosts Ronnie Wexler and Patrick Coffey, to give you his insights across the full breadth of macro, equities and credit, bringing you perspectives from Adeel’s unique vantage point.Adeel outlines why the global backdrop remains more resilient than headlines suggest, buoyed by a powerful US consumer and an AI investment cycle shifting decisively from infrastructure build-out to monetisation. He also explains why inflation could ease back toward 2% by year-end, and how the equity narrative is evolving as the era of beta gives way to alpha in a market that could reward precision, discipline and true stock picking skill.The discussion then moves through the shifting FX landscape including a multi-year USD correction, low rates volatility and improving emerging market fundamentals. All this before turning to credit, where Adeel highlights why financing conditions remain robust even as dispersion continues to widen.Looking ahead, he sets out three key predictions and the one risk that ties them all together.Listen now for a clear cross asset view from Barclays’ Global Head of Markets and what it means for positioning in 2026.Listeners can hear more on this topic:•Barclays Brief #14 – Headlines to hedges: Positioning in 2026 •Barclays Brief #13 – AI: The macro game changer•Barclays Brief #15 – Rise of the humanoid robots•Barclays Brief #11 – Credit markets: What’s ahead for 2026Clients can read more from Barclays Research on Barclays Live:•US dollar: How low can it go? •Debasement trade & broadening in full swing•Headline exhaustionImportant Content DisclosuresImportant non-Research Content Disclosures