As Sam Stubbs points out, economists are the butt of many jokes. His favourite is that they’ve predicted six out of the last three recessions.

The reason, he explains, is that economies are very complex, and predictions are based on limited data.

And with Covid-19, they got it wrong again. Many called it the worst economic event since the depression, which made great headlines.

But while clearly a tough year for most, overall the economic downturn hasn’t been as severe as predicted. The early stages of recovery have surprised on the upside.

In his latest opinion piece on Stuff Sam gives eight reasons why we could see a strong economy in 2021.