9 Predictions for 2026

9 Predictions for 2026

Author: Francis Tapon December 31, 2025 Duration: 10:56

I made several gloomy predictions for 2025 that did not occur.

So, now, like a lousy gambler, I am doubling down on those gloomy predictions and reiterating some of them for 2026!

A broken clock is correct twice a day! I will be a glorious Nostradamus in 2026!

1. Global recession strikes.

I incorrectly predicted that we’d have a recession in 2025, so how about 2026? I asked Perplexity.ai, and most experts say my prediction is wrong. Screw them. I say that the US unemployment rate will rise above 7%. Tariffs send the world into a downward spiral.

2. Renewables Overtake Coal as Top Global Power Source.

Renewables will generate over 6,000 terrawatts, more than at any other time in history, and surpassing coal for the first time.

3. Bitcoin revisits its 300-week moving average.

BTC’s bear market deepens. Bitcoin’s 2025 peak was approximately $125k, so it must drop by at least 50%, meaning it will likely dip below $70k, and possibly as low as $50k, which is near its current 300-week moving average.

Many analysts think the 200-week moving average represented the floor of BTC’s price, but with diminishing returns, the new floor is the 300-week moving average, which BTC tagged in March 2020 and crossed in November 2022. All bear markets must now cross the 300-week moving average, not just the 200-week.

By the end of 2026, BTC will be climbing back from its cycle low, but it won’t revisit $100k in 2026 (except maybe in the first quarter).

4. One in four light vehicle sales will be electric.

Although electric car sales in the USA may decline, the rest of the world will continue adopting them aggressively, reaching an all-time high in market share.

5. Democrats win back the US House of Representatives

Midterm elections are rarely good news for the incumbent US President.

6. Republicans retain the Senate.

A divided Congress plagues the lame-duck period of Trump’s final term.

7. MSTR drops 80% from its all-time high and dips to $100.

In 2025, Strategy was once worth $543. In 2026, it will be worth $100.

8. Humans will revisit the Moon in a flyby.

NASA will successfully launch the Artemis II mission, sending four astronauts around the moon in the first crewed lunar mission since 1972. They will NOT land on the Moon.

9. I’ll finish The Unseen Africa.

I’ll stay in Chile until it’s done!

To see my previous forecasts, check out my predictions for 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025.

Feedback

Email me at ft@francistapon.com or leave an anonymous voicemail that I could use on the podcast at Speakpipe.

Connect

Send me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTapon

You can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at

https://wanderlearn.com

.

If you like this podcast, subscribe and share!

On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:

* Facebook

* Twitter

* YouTube

* Instagram

* TikTok

* LinkedIn

* Pinterest

* Tumblr

Sponsors

1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon

2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!

3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM with its unlimited hotspot & data that never expires! Use code LR32K

4. Or get 5% off when you sign up with Saily, another global eSIM with a built-in VPN & ad blocker.

5. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.

6. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!

7. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken.

8. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!

9. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear.



Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

There's a certain kind of travel that changes you, not just your location. It’s the slow, immersive kind where the journey itself becomes the teacher. In WanderLearn: Travel to Transform Your Mind & Life, Francis Tapon acts as your guide into this world, exploring how leaving familiar ground can fundamentally reshape your perspective. This isn't about quick tips or itineraries; it's about the deeper conversations that happen at the crossroads of culture, society, and personal growth. Each episode delves into how we engage with places and people, often weaving in discussions about the role of modern technology in both enabling and complicating these profound experiences. You'll hear stories and insights that challenge the conventional tourist mindset, pushing toward a more thoughtful, engaged way of moving through the world. Francis draws from a wealth of experience to discuss concepts like vagabonding and deep travel, making the case that the greatest souvenirs aren't trinkets, but transformed thoughts. Tuning into this podcast feels like sitting down with a well-traveled friend who understands that the real destination is often a shift within yourself. It’s for anyone who believes that travel, at its best, is a powerful catalyst for learning and living differently.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 388

WanderLearn: Travel to Transform Your Mind & Life
Podcast Episodes
Derek Sivers On Things That Are 'Useful Not True' - Episode 1/3 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:00
Video #1: What's Useful, Not True?This is episode 1 of 3 featuring Derek Sivers. Derek has accomplished numerous impressive feats. He founded CD Baby. In 2008, he sold CD Baby for $22 million and donated the proceeds to…
Plan B's Bitcoin Stock-To-Flow Model Will Die in 2026 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:34
Watch Video on YouTubeFive years ago, I predicted Plan B's Bitcoin stock-to-flow model (S2F) would fail in this decade because it had 8 flaws.During Bitcoin's spectacular 2022 crash, many analysts declared the S2F models…
I Speak 10 Languages on YouTube! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:57
I encourage you to watch this 3-minute podcast on YouTube.YouTube is now dubbing my English videos into 10 other languages:DutchFrenchGermanHindiIndonesianItalianJapaneseKoreanPolishPortugueseSpanishIn my "After the Spik…
Confusing Words: Liberal and Left/Right Politically [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:57
See 20 other misused terms or expressionsRather than a left/right political spectrum, I prefer the 5 categories in the pictured grid. Take the test to discover where you stand.The terms "left" and "right" on the politica…
"The Media" is More Diverse Than You Think [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:17
Do you know people who wail about "the media"? Whenever that happens, it's always an incomplete sentence. They should say, "The media I disagree with."Saying "the media" implies there is only one media or that they have…
Is It Good or Bad News If We Depopulate "After the Spike"? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:03
Simon & Schuster provided me with an advanced copy of the superb book After the Spike: Population, Progress, and the Case for People, scheduled for release on July 8, 2025.The University of Texas authors, Dean Spears and…
The Fastest Traveler Looks to the Future [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:41
Michael Zervos is the fastest traveler ever!Watch the VideoNow that Michael Zervos has traveled to all the countries faster than anyone else, what's next for him? Additionally, what advice would he offer to anyone who wa…
Fastest To Travel to Every Country: Michael Zervos of Project Kosmos [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:46
I'm celebrating the 350th podcast episode with Michael Zervos! He did it!Many people try to travel to all the countries in the world quickly, but most fail.Therefore, when I met Zervos in Côte d'Ivoire in February 2024,…