2006: What You Need to Know Now

Finance and accounting professionals are casting a wary eye on next year. Get the forecast, with key benchmarks, when you join the new survey.

by Rick Telberg

Finance and accounting professionals are closing the books on a tumultuous 2005. They are going into the New Year with moderate confidence in the economy overall, but stronger confidence in their own organizations, not to mention themselves and their families.

So we consulted our favorite economic prophet, Professor Rosie Scenario. To be sure, Ms. Scenario isn’t always right, but we’d rather talk to her than her arch rival, Dr. Doom.

As the last month of 2005 dawned, economic prognosticators and stock market investors were buoyed by clues that the economic gloom following hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the surge in energy prices was brightening. Instead, 2006, predicted to be a year of slowdown just three months ago, began to take on brighter prospects. If Professor Rosie is right again, it’ll be the fifth year in a row of economic growth, at a rate nearly on pace with this year.