News Briefs

NABE elections are just around the corner, and the 2009 NABE Nominating Committee invites your suggestions for NABE officers, Board members, and Fellows.  Current officer and Board membersare here and Fellows are here.  The deadline for recommendations is May 8, and elections will be held in June and July. Nominating Committee members are: Ellen Hughes-Cromwick, Nominating Committee Chair, Ford Motor Company; Chris Varvares, Macroeconomic Advisers; Carl Tannenbaum, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago; Richard Berner, Morgan Stanley; Sara Johnson, IHS Global Insight; Maurine Haver, Haver Analytics; and Ken Simonson, Associated General Contractors of America.   To send your suggestions to the Nominating Committee, please complete the online form. 

Victor Zarnowitz, a long-time NABE member and one of the world's leading authorities on business cycles, business indicators, and forecast evaluation, died on Feb. 21, in New York City. He was 89.  Dr. Zarnowitz was Senior Fellow and Economic Counselor to The Conference Board in New York, where he worked since 1999. He was also Professor Emeritus of Economics and Finance, Graduate School of Business, The University of Chicago, and Research Associate, National Bureau of Economic Research.

Mark your calendar for the Skills Seminar set for Aug. 17-20 in Kansas City, Mo., for "Econometrics for the Business Analyst."  This hands-on, educational seminar is for people seeking knowledge of recent developments in economic methodologies and quantitative analysis. The emphasis is on statistical applications as opposed to forecasting, although some forecasting material will be covered. A special focus will be placed on applications for business.  Find more information and register for the seminar here.

Plans are well underway for NABE’s 51st NABE Annual Meeting scheduled for Oct. 10-13 in St. Louis.  The theme is "The New Global Financial and Economic Architecture: Gateway to Recovery."  The meeting will take place at the Hyatt Regency St. Louis Riverfront, on the banks of the Mississippi River. More information on the 51st NABE Annual Meeting, including a preliminary program,is online.

The NABE Quarterly Survey on Industry Conditions, released April 20, provided “fresh evidence that the U.S. economy’s recession is abating,” according to Sara Johnson, HIS Global Insight. See the highlights and follow links to the full report.

The 2009 Policy Survey received considerable media coverage upon its release March 2. NABE President Chris Varvares did brief survey interviews with National Public Radio (with Jack Speer), CNN Radio, the CBS Radio Network, the ABC Radio Network, Voice of America Radio, and an extensive interview with Bloomberg Radio’s Tom Keene. Survey Committee Member Doug Duncan did an embargoed survey interview with the Wall Street Journal Radio Network, and a live interview with CNBC that aired at 6:45 a.m. ET on March 2. Reuters and the Associated Press were among the outlets that published multiple original survey reports.

Check out podcasts of recent teleconferences, including the April 20 session on the industry survey results, and March teleconferences on “The New Global Financial Architecture and the Supervision of Systemically Important Banks,” and “Future Revisions to NAICS.”