Q Day hits early and crashes crypto
The first and most market-sensitive scenario centres on “Q Day”, the moment a working quantum computer proves it can crack today’s dominant public key cryptography. In Saxo’s 2026 storyline, that breakthrough arrives sooner than expected, exposing the vulnerability of everything from email and bank transfers to payment systems and crypto wallets.
Confidence evaporates across digital assets. Bitcoin and other public cryptocurrencies are hit hardest as longstanding wallets are suddenly at risk, stock exchanges freeze withdrawals and prices cascade towards zero. Fears spill over into the traditional financial system as depositors question the security of banks and payments infrastructure.
The scenario assumes a rush into physical assets that do not depend on encryption. Gold becomes the ultimate “no password” asset, with prices surging towards US$10,000 an ounce as investors look for protection while systems are reset.
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Governments and companies respond with emergency measures, from global “maintenance weekends” to swap out security protocols to new quantum safe standards. Winners in this world include quantum hardware names, advanced cybersecurity providers, key management platforms and banks with strong cash and physical vault networks. Weaker public crypto projects and thinly protected fintechs are the likely losers.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce sparks global boom
The second prediction links pop culture with macroeconomics. Saxo imagines a year dominated by pop star Taylor Swift and NFL star Travis Kelce, beginning with a high-profile destination wedding in Turks and Caicos in January 2026, followed by the announcement of a pregnancy.
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In the narrative, the couple step back from social media, choose a low-profile family life in the US Midwest and publicly commit to raising their child with limited access to screens and online entertainment. Their decision to prioritise family and offline time over constant digital exposure resonates with hundreds of millions of Swift fans around the world.
The result is a cultural shift as young millennials and older Gen Z followers copy the move. Marriage and birth rates pick up, time spent on social platforms drops and more spending is directed to real-world experiences at home. The IMF and World Bank are forced to revise global growth projections higher as a baby boom and faster household formation drive demand for housing, renovation, baby products and travel.
In market terms, Saxo sees downside risk for social media and online advertising platforms and upside for homebuilding, DIY and décor retailers, luxury brands, wedding-related services and destination travel operators. The report says Wall Street brands the phenomenon the “Swiftie put” as demographics and demand improve.
US mid-term elections pass without drama
The third scenario takes aim at US political risk fatigue. In Saxo’s storyline, both Republican- and Democratic-controlled states push gerrymandering to extremes ahead of the November 2026 mid-term elections, provoking a backlash from independent voters, the largest bloc in the electorate.
The election delivers a conventional swing against the party in the White House. Democrats take the House of Representatives by a small margin, the Republicans retain a narrower majority in the Senate and two centrist senators become pivotal vote holders. Importantly, the result is accepted and the process passes without major disruption.
The outrage generated by prior partisan tactics prompts an independent-led campaign for electoral reform and a national commission to redraw districts on a fairer basis ahead of the 2028 election cycle. At the same time, voters grow more sceptical of social media algorithms and AI-driven misinformation that have amplified polarisation. Consumption shifts towards a smaller group of more trusted news brands and balanced commentators.
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For markets, a calmer US political backdrop means lower risk premia. Saxo projects higher US Treasury prices and lower yields, while safe-haven demand for gold, silver and crypto eases. Revenues and valuations for social media platforms face renewed pressure as users look for less polarised sources of information.
Obesity pills reach humans and pets
Prediction four extends the GLP-1 obesity drug story that has dominated healthcare and consumer markets. Saxo assumes that by late 2026 a major pharmaceutical group successfully launches GLP-1 weight loss treatments in pill form, replacing most injections. The easier delivery format drives near universal adoption across developed markets.
The drugs shift from treatment to lifestyle product as people cycle on and off them to manage weight. Average body mass index readings in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) economies fall and some public health systems explore subsidised access as a preventive measure. Demand strains supply and raises the risk of counterfeits and parallel markets.
The report then extends the theme to animals. With pet obesity rising, pharma companies roll out GLP-1 formulations for dogs and cats under brand names such as “OzemPup” and “WeeKitty”. Social media is filled with “before and after” images of slimmer pets, sparking both enthusiasm and ethical questions. Veterinarians see improved health outcomes, while animal rights groups worry about over medicalisation.
Investors face a reshaped food and retail landscape. Healthcare, biotech and veterinary stocks benefit from broader GLP-1 adoption. Fast fashion does well as consumers replace wardrobes to fit new sizes. Traditional food producers, restaurant chains and pet food brands scramble to adapt product lines to smaller portion sizes, higher protein recipes and “satiety smart” marketing.
SpaceX IPO ignites the space economy
The fifth outrageous prediction turns to space. After proving the rapid reusability and performance of its Starship system through a series of successful launches, SpaceX lists its shares in what Saxo imagines as the largest IPO in history, valued at well above US$1 trillion.
The company outlines an ambitious launch schedule capable of multiplying annual payload capacity to low Earth orbit (LEO) by a factor of up to 100. It starts to take bookings not only for LEO but also for higher orbits, lunar missions and Mars deliveries years in advance, creating a huge backlog of contracted revenue.
SpaceX also plans orbital refuelling tankers to support large cargo missions to the Moon from 2027 and to Mars in subsequent windows. An unmanned mission scheduled for late 2026 deploys communications and technical infrastructure on the Martian surface and stakes a claim for a future tax-free Martian jurisdiction where Musk proposes to register Tesla, X and SpaceX.
The IPO kickstarts a broader race to develop space-based industries that benefit from microgravity, including advanced crystal growth for semiconductors, biopharma applications and 3D bioprinting. On the Moon, a consortium maps about a quarter of the surface and auctions plots and mineral rights down to one square metre, creating a speculative boom and bust similar to NFT mania.
Rocket manufacturers, satellite component suppliers and specialist chip designers are the primary beneficiaries in this scenario, while investors need to separate long-term industrial opportunities from near-term speculative excess.
AI takes the CEO job at a Fortune 500 firm
In the sixth scenario, governance and automation merge. Saxo imagines a blue chip name appointing a proprietary AI model as its operational CEO. The system is given limited signing authority across capital spending, pricing, logistics, hiring and screening of mergers and acquisitions, under strict human and legal oversight.
The AI is programmed with a three-part objective function that balances profit, customer satisfaction and employee engagement, with guardrails that prevent it from pursuing one goal at the expense of the others. A human CEO of record co-signs all actions. A traffic-light-style framework routes decisions to automation, human review or full board sign-off. Every action is logged in an explainability ledger.
On earnings calls, the AI appears as an avatar, fields analyst questions using real-time data and publishes decision trails for auditors and regulators. Efficiency gains emerge quickly as delivery times fall, waste is cut and margins improve. Labour groups and regulators push back, but the company introduces protections on redeployment and transparency that become a benchmark for “responsible automation”.
After two quarters of outperformance, competitors adopt similar AI co-leadership models. Insurers and auditors design new products for algorithmic management. In the short term, investors apply a governance risk premium to companies run partly by code. Over time, a new norm develops where human boards focus on long-term strategy and culture while AI systems handle execution.
Cloud providers, AI infrastructure vendors and governance tech specialists appear on the right side of this theme, while leaders of legacy enterprises face pressure to justify why they are not adopting similar tools.
Beijing launches a partially gold-backed yuan
The next prediction tackles the global currency order. Saxo predicts China disclosing audited gold reserves that exceed those of the US, then using that stockpile to launch a partially gold-backed offshore yuan. Holders of the new CNH (Chinese Yuan Renminbi Offshore) instrument can redeem balances for physical gold at a fixed rate that implies a sharp appreciation of the yuan to around 5.0 against the USD from levels near 7.0.
Initially the “golden yuan” is offered only offshore via financial centres such as Hong Kong and Singapore, while the onshore yuan remains managed. The reserve basket is anchored in gold but includes US Treasuries and commodities to smooth volatility. Regular third-party audits are used to build trust before China eventually allows full convertibility with daily redemption limits.
To encourage adoption, Beijing extends gold for yuan swap lines to Gulf oil exporters and Asean central banks and launches commodity contracts that can be settled in gold. Partner countries can choose to receive metal or hold CNH-denominated bonds that offer a small yield on top of gold exposure.
As more trade is invoiced in golden yuan, demand for US Treasuries falls and the dollar’s share of global reserves declines by around a third in the scenario. Gold prices move above US$6,000 an ounce and US yields rise as foreign holders trim exposure. The dollar remains a core reserve asset but loses its near monopoly as the world gains a second anchor currency option tied to tangible reserves.
Dumb AI triggers a trillion-dollar clean-up
The final outrageous prediction is a warning about poorly governed automation. By 2026, “agentic” AI systems that can take actions across networks without constant supervision are embedded across finance, logistics, manufacturing and research. Saxo’s scenario sees a series of failures expose the fragility of this architecture.
Misconfigured trading algorithms cause a flash crash and prompt regulatory reviews. AI driven accounting shortcuts lead to restatements and executive departures. In factories and labs, robots executing flawed AI instructions cause accidents and fatalities, underlining that software errors can have physical consequences. Boards discover that core codebases have been rewritten by models in ways that few human engineers fully understand.
The response is a large-scale clean up. Companies hire specialist “AI janitors” to audit and rebuild systems, consulting and cybersecurity firms see demand surge and governments impose stricter requirements for human in the loop control, rollback mechanisms, provenance logs, model registries and hard kill switches. Systems that rely on highly autonomous agents without clear oversight attract higher capital charges and insurance costs.
For investors, the winners are those providing security, auditing, risk management and resilient infrastructure rather than pure automation. Valuations of platforms that rely on aggressive autonomy come under pressure, while companies that can demonstrate robust governance, human control and transparent AI usage command a premium.
