With huge gyrations in the stock market, unemployment rising and the world economy reeling from financial woes, whats the economic future for West Virginia?
To answer this, West Virginia University s Bureau of Business and Economic Research will issue its 2008 economic forecast for West Virginia at the 15th annual Economic Outlook Conference from 8 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Nov. 18 at the Charleston Marriott Town Center.
Sponsored by the WVU College of Business and Economics , the conference will feature George Hammond , author of the West Virginia Economic Outlook , and David Wyss , chief economist at Standard&Poors and a well-known commentator on economic issues.
Hammond will discuss the forecast for West Virginia jobs, income, population and unemployment, while Wyss will give the outlook for the U.S. economy.
Hammond, associate director of the bureau, has directed the West Virginia Economic Outlook project for 14 years. He has a doctorate in business economics from Indiana University.
Wyss, a former senior staff economist with the Presidents Council of Economic Advisers, is responsible for Standard&Poors economic forecasts and publications and co-authors the monthly Forecast Summary and the weekly Financial Notes. He has a doctorate in economics from Harvard University.
Panelists representing the states key business and industry sectors will discuss implications of the forecast from their perspectives following the presentations. Panelists will be Charles R.SkipHageboeck, president and chief executive officer of City National Bank; Matthew G. Ballard, president and CEO of Charleston Alliance; and Mark Muchow, deputy secretary of the West Virginia Department of Revenue.
Registration is $75 per person through Thursday, Nov. 6, and $90 thereafter. Students can attend for $30 with ID. To register, call 304-293-7831 or go to http://www.be.wvu.edu/bber/index.htm .
The conference is sponsored by AEP Appalachian Power, The Chambers Endowed Program for Electronic Business, Charleston Daily Mail, The Charleston Gazette, Chesapeake Energy Corp., Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Crews&Associates Inc., Raymond James and Associates Inc., The State Journal, West Virginia Department of Revenue, West Virginia Housing Development Fund and West Virginia American Water.
The West Virginia Economic Outlook Conference is one of two back-to-back conferences with statewide economic impact taking place in mid-November at the Charleston Marriott Town Center.
The 2008 Industries of the Future-West Virginia symposium will be Nov. 19 from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Based at WVU , Industries of the Future focuses on how industries can modernize their production methods to reduce costs and become more energy efficient. This years symposium will feature panel discussions on innovations in energy efficiency and an update on climate change.