Lunch and presentation at the Missouri Athletic Club
Speaker: Kevin L. Kliesen Business Economist and Research Officer
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Topic: The U.S. Economic Outlook
About the talk: The U.S. economy has struggled to develop some momentum the past few years, partially in response to temporary developments in the United States and Internationally. However, job growth remains strong and the unemployment rate is below its long-run average. Importantly, inflation remains low and stable, as are long-term interest rates. The stock market has reached record levels in consumer confidence measures suggest households are optimistic about economic conditions over the next year or two. With the economy strengthening, Federal Reserve officials have noted that they may begin to raise their short-term interest rate target by the end of the year. Will this derail the economy? However, as recent developments in Greece and China show, there are always potential potholes in the road ahead that policymakers must try to dodge. What is the outlook for the U.S. economy?
Learning Objective: Under where the U.S. economy is headed the next year.
Level of Complexity: Basic
Who Should attend: Anyone interested in learning where the economy is headed.
Speaker bio:
Kevin L. Kliesen is a business economist and Bank Officer in the Research Division at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. He joined the Bank in 1988. From mid-2010 to mid-2012, he was part of the Supervisory Policy and Risk Analysis Unit, which is housed in the Bank’s Supervision and Regulation Division. He holds an M.A. in Economics from Colorado State University.
In his position as a business economist, he analyzes current U.S. macroeconomic and financial market developments and trends for the Bank president and staff economists prior to each Federal Open Market Committee meeting. He also reports on and analyzes economic conditions in the seven states of the Eighth Federal Reserve District. In this capacity, he manages the District’s economic outreach activities. An important aspect of this responsibility involves managing the Bank’s Burgundy Books and developing various materials and information sources for the Bank’s outreach efforts. Another important aspect of this position involves speaking to the general public and professional groups about U.S. and Eighth District