Term used to describe a person who predicts future outcomes [closed]

There are people out there who try to predict future outcomes for certain areas like crops, events, etc... It's all logic-based and determined by their perception of previous years data. No clairvoyance or prophesied type thing at all... I'm trying to come up with the term that they used to describe that type of person, but for the life of me I cannot remember what it is.... if I'm not sailing mistaken, I think I have seen it centered mostly around stock markets.

Solution 1:

Some suggestions:

• Forecaster – someone who forecasts. (mentioned by Xanne in comment)

  • to predict (a future condition or occurrence); calculate in advance: to forecast a heavy snowfall; to forecast lower interest rates.
  • to conjecture beforehand; make a prediction.

• Speculator

  • a person who is engaged in commercial or financial speculation.

Others to consider:

• Pundit – Used to refer to political commentators who often attempt to forecast election results. (mentioned by Weather Vane in a now-gone comment)

  • a person who makes comments or judgments, especially in an authoritative manner; critic or commentator.

• Pollster – The people who gather data used to attempt to predict election outcomes.

  • a person whose occupation is the taking of public-opinion polls.

Some more:

• Prognosticator, suggested by Eric.
• Actuary, suggested by TaliesinMerlin.
• Analyst, suggested by Der Übermensch.

Words that describe the basis of predictions, not the people who make them.

• Predictor, suggested by Jon Watte

• Futures (investopedia) – Doesn't describe the person, but the underlying trade instrument.

  • Futures are financial contracts obligating the buyer to purchase an asset or the seller to sell an asset and have a predetermined future date and price.
  • A futures contract allows an investor to speculate on the direction of a security, commodity, or a financial instrument.

Solution 2:

A term I particularly like for this is prognosticator.

prognosticate

prog·​nos·​ti·​cate | \ präg-ˈnä-stə-ˌkāt \

1 : to foretell from signs or symptoms : PREDICT

2 : to give an indication of in advance : FORESHADOW

That makes a prognosticator someone who "predicts future events or developments".

Solution 3:

An actuary is a business analyst who assesses future risks and uncertainties. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics describes actuaries as people who use past data and predictive models to tell the future:

Actuaries analyze the financial costs of risk and uncertainty. They use mathematics, statistics, and financial theory to assess the risk of potential events, and they help businesses and clients develop policies that minimize the cost of that risk.

At least in the United States, this is a credentialed profession - people take exams to become actuaries. (Other countries may differ in process; Denmark for example requires specific degrees to become an actuary.) Generally, actuaries refer to their field of work as actuarial science.

Solution 4:

Perhaps you are thinking of “analyst.”

OED (Online), 2., b.:

A specialist or expert in the analysis of events and situations or the prediction of future developments in a particular field. Frequently with modifying word, as financial analyst, military analyst, political analyst, etc.

Solution 5:

According to Merriam-Webster

futurist

1. one who studies and predicts the future especially on the basis of current trends

• economic futurists predict a new world order in which information is the resource that drives a nation's economy

On the web

…where fortune tellers will root their predictions in divine forces and mystical unexplained powers, futurists make their predictions based on stone cold facts. A futurist is a kind of consultant who makes predictions based on future trends they identify. Their point of view can even impact how companies design products or how communities run their outreach,…

What Is A Futurist? 12 Things To Know About The Coolest Job You Never Knew You Could Have Bustle.com