Q3 2026 UPDATE (JULY-AUGUST-SEPTEMBER)
Here we are in the third quarter of this decidedly eventful year 2026... and the geopolitical landscape shows little sign of simplifying. The war in Ukraine is entering its fifth year (the conflict began in February 2022), and far from easing, it has just recorded its deadliest month for civilians since spring 2022, according to a UN report published in mid-July. US-led peace talks have been stalled since the outbreak of the Middle East war in late February, despite renewed support from Washington for Kyiv at the recent NATO summit in Ankara. On the Middle East front, the US-Iran ceasefire agreement reached after the June 2025 strike on Iranian nuclear sites is holding... but by a thread: the Strait of Hormuz has only partially returned to normal oil traffic, and mid-July marked precisely the 30-day deadline set by the agreement for a full return to normal. Economists are watching this barometer very closely, since its durability will determine whether the second half of the year gets an energy-driven disinflation tailwind, or instead absorbs a second oil shock. Against this backdrop, the trade war continues its twists and turns: the US "Section 122" tariffs are due to expire at the end of July, but Washington has already lined up their replacement under a different legal basis (Section 301) — a game of tariff musical chairs that keeps uncertainty alive for exporting companies worldwide.
On the macroeconomic front, the picture is mixed but overall less gloomy than one might have feared: the IMF maintains its global growth forecast at around 3.0% for 2026, disinflation continues but is losing momentum, and the major economic zones are moving at different speeds — Spain and France are leading the pack in Europe, Germany remains the continent's weak link, and China's inflation is slowing further. In the US, the trade deficit has widened to its highest level in over a year, a sign that tariff tensions continue to weigh on trade flows.
And of course, AI keeps making and breaking the weather on Wall Street! The "AI bubble" debate has never been more intense: after a blockbuster second quarter for the Nasdaq (its strongest quarterly performance since the post-pandemic rebound), valuations are dizzying — the S&P 500's cyclically adjusted price-to-earnings ratio (CAPE) now exceeds 40, and the ten largest tech and AI stocks account for more than 40% of the index, a concentration level eerily reminiscent of the dot-com bubble. Some analysts remain reassuring, pointing out that unlike the 2000 giants, today's leaders generate genuine, massive profits; others, like Michael Burry, continue to openly bet against some of the sector's flagship names. Nvidia, despite results often described as "monstrous," has seen its stock notably more volatile and underperforming versus its semiconductor peers this year — a sign that even the AI class's star pupils are no longer immune to market jitters. This tension between extraordinary fundamentals and equally extraordinary prices will likely remain the defining theme of markets this third quarter.
On the other hand, corporate budgets are tightening, difficulties in recruiting top talent persist, and agentic AI — AI that no longer just generates text but acts autonomously, chains tasks together, and makes decisions — is now taking real hold inside companies: its share of enterprise workflows is said to have jumped from 3% in 2024 to an expected 25% by the end of 2026, an eightfold increase in two years! The word "Agentic" has indeed established itself, carried along by a growing set of technical protocols (MCP, A2A, ACP...) that are starting to standardize how these agents communicate with one another. The sector keeps racing ahead: NVIDIA crossed the symbolic $5 trillion market cap mark in mid-July, a valuation that still dwarfs entire sectors of the global economy. On the jobs front, the picture is coming into sharper — and somewhat darker — focus: in France as elsewhere, youth employment is slowing markedly in IT, publishing, and consulting, and while 41% of employers worldwide are considering cutting certain roles thanks to AI, the IMF is meanwhile projecting the creation of 97 million new roles elsewhere (oversight, governance, system training). The European Union, for its part, will classify AI recruitment tools as "high-risk" uses starting August 2, 2026, requiring human oversight and transparency toward candidates — likely the first of many regulatory tightenings to come.
In the business world, the priority therefore remains the same: resilience to protect the existing business, and boldness to launch as many new business-creation initiatives as possible using AI. Some jobs will continue to disappear, and employees will increasingly be "augmented" by autonomous agents working alongside them.
On the energy front, the idea of computing centers in space is no longer science fiction: Google has confirmed its Suncatcher project, with a first launch of test satellites planned for early 2027; SpaceX (now merged with xAI) is targeting several hundred gigawatts in orbit; and startup Starcloud has already been running NVIDIA chips in orbit since late 2025. The rationale remains the same: a solar panel is up to eight times more productive in space than on Earth, offering virtually unlimited energy to feed AI's bottomless appetite — even though launch costs, maintenance, and orbital pollution remain, for now, very real obstacles that only the arrival of fully reusable, low-cost rockets could overcome. The terrestrial energy crisis, meanwhile, continues to force us to accelerate the transition, which will remain long, costly, and full of mistakes — a gigantic challenge that demands we redouble our efforts at creativity.
For the activities of Consulting, Training, or Coaching, every service delivered before in "PRESENTIAL" (or Face to Face) have been completely redesigned in a "DISTANCIAL" model.
And we have invested in new tools like "Miro"
("www.miro.com")
for the collaborative work within our services in Training and Coaching.
A tough task of development which was mandatory in order to survive!.
What is absolutely true in any case now is as follows :
1/ We'll spend even less on maintenance of applications, but much more on innovation...
as much more activity will happen online
2/ Most of the growth in computing is driven by new markets,
called SMACS & IA (social, mobile, analytics, cloud, security, and Generative IA)
3/ We notice a hypergrowth in Cloud Activities for many vendors.
Key points for this quarter
Gartner published his "Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2026"
(See content here)
But how this Gartner prediction will be impacted by the Intennational context ?
The IT segments that are likely to drive new growth in cloud technologies:
(IAAS) infrastructure as a service, (IPAS) integrated platform as a service,
and (CPAS) communication platform as service.
And why not "IOTAS", which means "Internet Of Things As a Service".
Other technologies to watch include
collaboration, workforce analysis, message-oriented video middleware, cybersecurity,
analytics, and storage, all of which are linked to the digital transformation
efforts of the Enterprise.”
Gartner Forecasts Worldwide IT Spending to Grow 9.8%in 2026
(See content here)
The main problem in 2026 resides in 3 words : Resilience, Resilience, and Resilience... and as always find new Customers, serve them, and retain them!
Most importantly, protect and develop the Customer Relationship Level
(Please see our service « LOR »
Level Of Relationship )
New IT developments are accelerating e-commerce, especially m-commerce
(transactions via smartphones), and these areas are growing faster than all the rest,
all industries combined.
In 2026 Companies (for those who will survive!)will continue to reduce their IT maintenance costs
and reallocate funds for "Resilinece Projects", and other new projects that bring more business value.
The three keywords Cloud, Mobile, Social are driving the trend,
but now also with Analytics, Security and Generative IA everywhere!
• Time is going fast, and more than ever planning is key.
Protecting business and Resilience are the keywords!
Currently the business environment has 3 pressures : Financial, Economic and Politic...
• Be ready to help your Accounts for their Resilience Plan and help them to create New Business
(In 2026 some Economic Sectors are acceleratiing this transition : HEALTH, SECURITY,... and ENERGY savings!).
We expect a significant increase in IT spending in the Cloud Computing Services(Private, Public or Hybrid).
• Channel Partners play also a key role in many Industries!
• Services and « SaaS » are leading the pack.
As a quick summary, you can overcome the 2025 pressures if you build your Resilience Plan.
Do not hesitate to contact us and talk about your specific needs.
Send us a quick email here
NEW TOOLS FOR 2026
• New Business Portfolio with easier interaction
• New Powerful Views
• Opportunity file improved
NEW "OBI ELECTRONIC" file with Summary and Action Plan :
(What ?) ...Let's define the right Solution
(How ?) ... Let's define our best Strategy
(Why ?) ... Let's find our clear Win Themes
(Who ?) ... Actions and who is responsible for what
