What next at the Fed? Will the AI bubble burst? For Trump, economic questions mount

The U.S. economy heads into 2026 in an unusual place: Inflation is down from its peak in mid-2022, growth has held up better than many expected, and yet American households say that things still feel shaky. Uncertainty is the watchword, especially with a major Supreme Court ruling on tariffs on the horizon.

To find out what’s coming next, The Conversation checked in with finance professors Brian Blank (Mississippi State) and Brandy Hadley (Appalachian State), who study how businesses make decisions amid uncertainty.