Indiana University business experts will offer their 2012 forecasts for local, state, national, and global economies and financial markets during the university’s annual Economic Outlook Breakfast, which will be held November 4 at Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus (IUPUC). Members of the general public, business owners, municipal officials, civic leaders, and others are invited to attend.

The event, which is sponsored by Centra Credit Union and co-hosted by the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce, will begin at 7:30 a.m. with a continental breakfast just outside the Columbus Learning Center Auditorium & Lecture Hall located at 4555 Central Avenue.

The discussion will begin at 8 a.m. Attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions after the presentations. Panelists include:

• Ellie Mafi-Kreft: U.S. and Global Outlook
  Clinical assistant professor of business for the Kelley School of Business, Mafi-Kreft has recently published in the Cato Journal and Economic Letters. Her research and academic focus is on monetary policy, international trade and financial markets, and macroeconomics.

• Chuck Trzcinka: Financial Markets Outlook
  The James and Virginia Cozad Professor of Finance at the Kelley School of Business, Dr. Trzcinka’s research on financial markets has garnered several national awards. He has published most recently in Forbesmagazine, the Journal of Financial Economics, and the Journal of Financial Research.

• Theresa Williams: State Outlook
  Clinical associate professor of marketing in the Kelley School of Business, Dr. Williams has focused her academic and research interests on retailing. She helped establish a retailing academy at Kelley and has served as director of the Center of Education and Research in Retailing since 1997.

• Michael J. Oakes: Columbus Outlook
  Presenting the local outlook for the third year, Oakes most recently served as interim head of the Indiana University Division of Business at IUPUC, where he serves as director of the MBA Program and senior lecturer in finance.

The moderator for this year’s breakfast is Dr. Frank Wadsworth, new head of the Indiana University Division of Business and professor of marketing and international studies at IUPUC. His research and professional interests focus on franchising and international corruption. Wadsworth began his position at IUPUC on August 10.

“This is a terrific annual IU event,” Wadsworth notes. “Given the volatility of the U.S. economy and European markets over the past three years, hearing what the panelists have to say about what we can expect in 2012 will be of great interest.”

Much of the data and work that comprises the annual outlooks is compiled and interpreted by the Indiana Business Research Center (IBRC), which is a unit of the Kelley School of Business. The IBRC maintains statistics and other information used by key state and national decision- and policy-makers.

The cost is $15 for chamber members and $25 for the general public (nonmembers).  Register online at www.columbusareachamber.com/events. Call 812.379.4457 to register and by phone.