The West Virginia University Bureau of Business and Economic Research, housed in the College of Business and Economics, will host the annual Morgantown Metropolitan Statistical Area Economic Outlook Conference on Nov. 16 at 8 a.m. at the Waterfront Place Hotel. The conference will provide stakeholders with the economic forecast for the Morgantown region, as well as the outlook for the state and nation.

It’s been a rough year for the state, and policymakers and business leaders are more interested than ever in the economic outlook for West Virginia, as well as possible remedies for an ailing economy.

The Morgantown MSA includes Monongalia and Preston counties in West Virginia.

“This event will provide a focused look at the Morgantown area, which has been one of West Virginia’s strongest economic regions in recent years,” said Dr. John Deskins, BBER director. “I will also provide a detailed look at the state economy and the forecast for the coming year.”

The event also presents an opportunity to discuss primary indicators of the state economy, such as employment, unemployment, population and real per capita personal income, and to discuss potential solutions. “There are a lot of questions out there about where West Virginia’s economy is heading, and people want hard data and rigorous and unbiased economic analysis. And that’s exactly what we will provide,” Deskins said.

Registration and continental breakfast will begin at 8 a.m., followed by the U.S. Economic Outlook by Andy Bauer, senior regional economist, Baltimore Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. Deskins will then present the West Virginia and Morgantown economic outlooks, followed by a panel discussion on critical issues in the state.

The Morgantown MSA Economic Outlook Conference is the last of five events scheduled by the BBER across West Virginia. Previous conferences were held in Charleston, Wheeling, Beckley and Martinsburg.

To register for the event, please visit be.wvu.edu/bber. For further information on the WVU College of Business and Economics, follow us on Twitter at @wvucobe or visit be.wvu.edu.

-WVU-

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CONTACT: Patrick Gregg, WVU College of Business and Economics
304.293.5131, Patrick.Gregg@mail.wvu.edu

Follow @WVUToday on Twitter.