Business leaders take look ahead at economic conference

With reports from the Federal Reserve that the impact of Asia’s turmoil on the U.S. economy should be measurable but not overwhelming, Wisconsin business leaders may be slightly relieved, but still wondering what’s ahead.

The Economic Outlook: 1998-1999 Conference, March 13, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., on the UW–Madison campus, will take a look ahead, examining the economy for the next four quarters.

Leading economic advisers will forecast the course of the overall economy for the nation and its major sectors, predicting the next four quarters for GDP, inflation, imports and exports, employment, and consumer sentiment. They include: Joel Prakken, chair and co-founder, Macroeconomic Advisers, LLC, St. Louis, Mo. ; David Hale, chief global economist, The Zurich Group, Chicago; Clare Zempel, CFA, chief investment strategist and chief economist, Robert W. Baird & Co., Inc., Milwaukee; and Don Nichols, professor of economics and public policy and director of the La Follette Center for Research on the Wisconsin Economy, UW–Madison.

The Economic Outlook Conference is presented by Management Institute, a continuing education unit of the UW–Madison School of Business. Buck Joseph, associate professor and director of executive development, will moderate the program.

The probable next steps of the Federal Reserve and the prospects for manufacturing, interest rates, retail spending, and construction will be addressed. Those attending will gain insights into the dynamics of the domestic and international economies, and financial markets. Nearly 200 business owners, executives and managers are expected to convene at the semiannual conference.

The fee for the Economic Outlook Conference is $225 per person or $200 per person when two or more from the same organization attend. It will take place in the Morgridge Auditorium, Grainger Hall, 975 University Ave., Madison, Wis. For more information, contact Carol Enseki at 1-800/292-8964; fax 608/262-4617; Web http://www.wisc.edu/mi/2ed.html.