Top Indiana University business experts will offer their 2013 forecasts for local, state, national, and global economies and financial markets on Friday, November 2 as part of the annual Economic Outlook Breakfast to be held at Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus (IUPUC).
Members of the general public, business owners, municipal officials, civic leaders, students, and other interested individuals are invited to attend.
The four panelists, each of whom is recognized for expertise in identifying new and emerging trends, will discuss their predictions for the top domestic and international economic issues facing business and government leaders in the new year.
According to Michael J. Oakes, the panelist who will provide a local perspective, the 2013 economic outlook is one of the more confounding in recent years.
“Signs of a global slowdown, particularly in China, combined with ongoing uncertainty about the nation’s employment outlook, make this year’s discussion very timely, especially in light of the upcoming presidential election,” Oakes said.
Panelists for the 2013 event 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.
- Dubos J. (DJ) Masson—Financial Markets Outlook
A frequent conference speaker and author in a variety of financial and treasury management areas, Masson is a clinical professor of finance at the Kelley School of Business. He has over 25 years of experience in developing training and education programs for corporations and commercial banks, ranging from small regional institutions to large global financial institutions such as Citibank, JPM Chase, HSBC, and Royal Bank of Canada.
- 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 event, which is sponsored by Centra Credit Union and co-hosted by the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce and the Division of Business at IUPUC, will begin at 7:30 a.m. with a continental breakfast just outside the Columbus Learning Center Auditorium & Lecture Hall at 4555 Central Avenue.
The panel discussion will begin at 8 a.m. Attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions after the presentations. As in 2011, attendees will also have a chance to participate, via text messaging, in an ongoing poll on various economic issues.
The moderator for this year’s breakfast is Dr. Frank Wadsworth, 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.
“These statewide Economic Outlook Breakfasts are a very popular Indiana University event,” Wadsworth notes. “Members of the public are always interested in what IU experts have to say about what they can expect about the economy as we approach a new year.”
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 $20. Register online at www.columbusareachamber.com/events. Call 812.379.4457 to register by phone.