Best Business Planning & Forecasting Books of 2026

The End of the World Is Just the Beginning by Peter Zeihan is a New York Times Bestseller that maps out the collapse of globalization and the next world. Zeihan suggests that countries or regions will have no choice but to make their own goods, grow their own food, secure their own energy, fight their own battles, and do it all with populations that are both shrinking and aging. This book is an illuminating and a bit terrifying ride, packed with foresight, wit, and Zeihan's trademark irreverence. It is a must-read for anyone interested in the future of our interconnected world.

Scaling People: Tactics for Management and Company Building by Claire Hughes Johnson is a practical guide to building and scaling a company's most important resource: its people. The book offers tactical information on crafting foundational documents, strategic planning, hiring, team development, and feedback mechanisms, all of which can be applied to companies of any size and industry. The author provides dozens of pages of worksheets, templates, exercises, and example documents to help company builders create scalable operating systems and lightweight processes. Overall, Scaling People is a detailed roadmap for creating sustainable and scalable companies that are set up for long-term success.

The Phoenix Economy by Felix Salmon is an insightful analysis of the transformative years of the early 2020s, exploring the positive ramifications of the pandemic years. The book is divided into three parts, examining the critical aspects of our lives that have been transformed: Time and Space, Mind and Body, and Business and Pleasure. Salmon's clear-eyed perspective on human and economic events, combined with his considerable analytical and observational skills, makes this an essential read for anyone wanting a better understanding of the near- and long-term effects of this new era. Overall, The Phoenix Economy is a refreshing, thoughtful, and witty look into what's changed and what's ahead.

Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction by Philip Tetlock and Dan Gardner is a fascinating read on the topic of prediction. The book draws on decades of research, including the results of a massive forecasting tournament, to explore how some people are able to make accurate predictions while others are not. The authors offer practical advice on how to improve forecasting skills, including gathering evidence from a variety of sources and working in teams. The book also features interviews with high-level decision makers, adding a real-world perspective to the topic. Overall, Superforecasting is an insightful and accessible book that offers valuable insights into the art and science of prediction.

The Genesis Machine: Our Quest to Rewrite Life in the Age of Synthetic Biology is a fascinating survey of the present and future of biotechnology. Amy Webb and Andrew Hessel explore the vast opportunities waiting for us on the horizon while also discussing the significant risks involved in synthetic biology. This book provides a thought-provoking introduction to the field and offers a comprehensive take on making a better world through biology. The book is a must-read for anyone interested in exploring the ethical and moral dilemmas posed by redesigning life.

The second edition of "Machine Learning for Algorithmic Trading" by Packt Publishing introduces readers to end-to-end machine learning for the trading workflow. The book covers supervised, unsupervised, and reinforcement learning models, from idea and feature engineering to model optimization, strategy design, and backtesting. It also shows how to use natural language processing and deep learning to extract tradeable signals from market and alternative data. By the end of the book, readers will be proficient in translating ML model predictions into a trading strategy and evaluating its performance. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in using machine learning for trading.

The Master Algorithm: How the Quest for the Ultimate Learning Machine Will Remake Our World is a fascinating exploration of machine learning and the race to build computer intelligences as flexible as our own. Pedro Domingos demystifies the subject, providing a blueprint for the future universal learner - the Master Algorithm, discussing what it will mean for business, science, and society. The book is wonderfully erudite, humorous, and easy to read, making it an impressive and wide-ranging work that covers everything from the history of machine learning to the latest technical advances in the field. It is a must-read for anyone interested in Artificial Intelligence and semantics.

The Future Is Faster Than You Think is a book that explores how the convergence of exponential technologies will transform every aspect of our lives in the next ten years. The authors, Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler, analyze the impact of AI, robotics, virtual reality, digital biology, and sensors on legacy industries such as transportation, education, health, and finance. Readers will be taken on a journey into uncharted territories as the authors reimagine the world as we know it. The book provides a prescient look at our impending future and is a must-read for anyone interested in the intersection of technology and society.

Rich Dad's Prophecy is an introduction to investing book written by Robert Kiyosaki and published by Plata Publishing. The book teaches readers how to navigate turbulent economic waters and build their financial ark to acquire wealth during times of crisis. Kiyosaki's insights and predictions in this book have played out on the world stage over the past years, making the title itself seem prophetic. The book is a must-read for baby boomers and their children and grandchildren who are concerned about their financial futures. Overall, the book provides valuable information and unique perspectives on investing.

This book, titled "Don't Trade Before Learning These 14 Candlestick Patterns," provides a comprehensive guide for traders to learn and practice candlestick analysis. The author has selected 14 candlestick patterns based on studies by technical analysts that provide traders with over 85% of trade opportunities, and a win ratio of over 80%. The book is divided into two parts, with Part-I catering to beginners and Part-II explaining the structure and logic behind each of the 14 patterns. The book is an excellent resource for traders of all levels, and the author's approach makes learning candlestick analysis accessible and easy. Overall, this book is an essential read for traders looking to improve their trading strategies.