New Delhi, Jan. 3 -- Happy New Year, dear readers of Mint Money Compass.

The New Year brings with it a fresh rush of optimism. It's this renewed energy that fuels resolutions: some plan to travel more, others to exercise regularly, and a few to take life-altering leaps. None of these really needs a new year, but the promise of a new beginning often nudges people to commit.

There is also a set of people who look to forecasts to gauge what the year ahead might hold. But when it comes to finance, forecasts don't quite work that way. Yet, taking a cue from that playbook, we spoke to experts across the financial services ecosystem-the very sectors that manage your money-to understand how they are reading the economy in 2026. We asked them fo...