The European Central Bank released its third-quarter 2026 survey of professional forecasters, in which economists cut their growth projections for the eurozone while nudging up inflation expectations slightly. Real GDP is now seen expanding 0.6% in 2026, down 0.4 percentage points from the previous survey. For 2027, growth is forecast at 1.2%, down 0.1 percentage points, and for 2028 it is unchanged at 1.3%. Headline inflation is expected to come in at 2.7% in 2026, 2.2% in 2027, and 2.0% in 2028, with the 2027 forecast raised by 0.1 percentage points. Core inflation is seen at 2.4%, 2.2%, and 2.1% respectively, with the 2026 figure revised up by 0.2 percentage points. The unemployment rate is projected at 6.3% in both 2026 and 2027, before edging down to 6.2% in 2028 and 6.1% in the longer term. The survey also noted that the impact of the Middle East conflict on inflation would be limited and most pronounced in 2026.