Economic forecasting

Economic forecasting is the process of making predictions about the economy. Forecasts can be made at a high level of aggregation—for example, for GDP, inflation, unemployment, or the fiscal deficit. They can also be made at a more disaggregated level, targeting specific economic sectors or even individual firms. This practice is a fundamental part of economic analysis, providing a measure of a potential investment's future prospects and helping shape policy decisions. Many institutions engage in economic forecasting: national governments, banks and central banks, consultants and private sector entities such as think-tanks, and companies or international organizations such as the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and the OECD. A broad range of forecasts are collected and compiled by "Consensus Economics". Some forecasts are produced annually, but many are updated more frequently.

The economist typically considers risks (i.e., events or conditions that can cause the result to vary from their initial estimates). These risks help illustrate the reasoning process used in arriving at the final forecast numbers. Economists typically use commentary along with data visualization tools such as tables and charts to communicate their forecast. In preparing economic forecasts a variety of information has been used in an attempt to increase the accuracy.

Everything from macroeconomic, microeconomic, market data from the future, machine-learning (neural networks), and human behavioral studies have all been used to achieve better forecasts. Forecasts are used for a variety of purposes. Governments and businesses use economic forecasts to help them determine their strategy, multi-year plans, and budgets for the upcoming year. Stock market analysts use forecasts to help them estimate the valuation of a company and its stock.

Economists select which variables are important to the subject material under discussion. Economists may use statistical analysis of historical data to determine the apparent relationships between particular independent variables and their relationship to the dependent variable under study. For example, to what extent did changes in housing prices affect the net worth of the population overall in the past? This relationship can then be used to forecast the future. That is, if housing prices are expected to change in a particular way, what effect would that have on the future net worth of the population? Forecasts are generally based on sample data rather than a complete population, which introduces uncertainty. The economist conducts statistical tests and develops statistical models (often using regression analysis) to determine which relationships best describe or predict the behavior of the variables under study. Historical data and assumptions about the future are applied to the model in arriving at a forecast for particular variables.

The Economic Outlook is the OECD's twice-yearly analysis of the major economic trends and prospects for the next two years. The IMF publishes the World Economic Outlook report twice annually, which provides comprehensive global coverage. The IMF and World Bank also produce Regional Economic Outlook for various parts of the world.

There are also private companies such as The Conference Board and Lombard Street Research that provide global economic forecasts.

As of April 2024, the World Trade Organization (WTO) projects a rebound in global merchandise trade, forecasting a growth of 2.6% for the year, and an anticipated increase to 3.3% in 2025, following a 1.2% decline in 2023. During 2023, there was a significant reduction in merchandise exports, which fell by 5% to US$ 24.01 trillion, contrasting sharply with the commercial services sector, which saw a 9% increase in exports to US$ 7.54 trillion. The global GDP is expected to stabilize, maintaining a growth rate of 2.6% in 2024 and 2.7% in 2025. From a regional perspective, Africa is forecasted to experience the highest export growth at 5.3% in 2024, closely followed by the CIS region at nearly the same rate. Moderate growth is expected in North America, the Middle East, and Asia, with rates projected at 3.6%, 3.5%, and 3.4%, respectively, while European exports are anticipated to grow by only 1.7%. Import growth will likely be robust in Asia (5.6%) and Africa (4.4%), with Europe showing almost no growth at 0.1%. Digital services trade remains resilient, reaching US$ 4.25 trillion in exports in 2023, and accounting for 13.8% of global exports of goods and services, with significant growth observed in Africa (13%) and South and Central America and the Caribbean (11%). Additionally, the WTO has launched the Global Services Trade Data Hub to provide detailed insights into the evolving landscape of services trade, with a particular focus on digitalization.

The U.S. Congressional Budget Office (CBO) publishes a report titled "The Budget and Economic Outlook" annually, which primarily covers the following ten-year period. The U.S. Federal Reserve Board of Governors members also give speeches, provide testimony, and issue reports throughout the year that cover the economic outlook. Regional Federal Reserve Banks, such as the St Louis Federal Reserve Bank also provide forecasts.