Indiana University economists presenting their annual forecast today (Nov. 5) are confident that 2010 is going to be better than this year. Unfortunately, 2009 was "really, really awful."

The Indiana Business Research Center at IU's Kelley School of Business has been named winner of three of the seven Awards of Excellence presented this year by the Association for University Business and Economic Research.

The Leading Index for Indiana (LII) for the month of September was unchanged from the August index. The August index, previously flat from July, was revised upward. The LII is produced by the Indiana Business Research Center at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business, in order to help Hoosier businesses and governments better understand market conditions in the state.

The Indiana Business Research Center at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business has created a new economic index that will enable Hoosiers to better understand market conditions in the state.

On Nov. 5, the Indiana University Business Outlook Panel will begin a statewide tour to present its economic forecast for 2010, with presentations in Indianapolis and Bloomington.

The Indiana Business Research Center has analyzed population estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau for all cities, towns and townships in the state.

The Center for Applied Economics and Policy Research at Indiana University Bloomington will co-sponsor a conference this week in Princeton, N.J., aimed at bringing macroeconomic research to bear on policy issues. The conference, "Monetary-Fiscal Policy Interactions, Expectations, and Dynamics in the Current Economic Crisis," will take place Friday and Saturday (May 22-23) at Princeton University.

With economies around the world suffering through what could become the worst downturn since the Great Depression, Indiana University economists will share their insights and analysis in a symposium intended for students, faculty, staff and the general public. "Worldwide Economic Crisis: Proximate Causes, Historical Perspective and Policy Responses," will take place from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. April 3 in room 100 of Woodburn Hall.

Today (Dec. 5), the U.S. Labor Department released statistics showing that employers cut 533,000 jobs in November, which was the most since 1972. Bill Witte, associate professor of economics and co-director of the Center for Econometric Model Research at Indiana University, is available to offer some perspective.

Indiana University President Michael A. McRobbie announced today that Lilly Endowment Inc. has awarded the university $2.75 million to support initiatives that provide internships and job placement, promote economic development and promote a culture of entrepreneurship. The five-year grant will fund new and continued activities at seven IU campuses aimed at reversing "brain drain" and increasing the number of college graduates who stay and work in Indiana.

As 2008 draws to an end, economists at Indiana University and its Kelley School of Business hope that the nation and Indiana can escape 2009 with only a moderate recession -- similar in severity to those in 1990 and in 2001. The Kelley School's Business Outlook Panel today (Nov. 6) presented a forecast for 2009 predicting that national output (Gross Domestic Product) will decline through the first half of 2009 -- dropping more than 1 percent during the recession -- before growing in the second half.

2008 was a "very tricky year" for economists to anticipate and forecasters who will present the Indiana University Business Outlook Panel forecast acknowledge that 2009 "could be even more challenging."

While Latinos today account for 5 percent of all Hoosiers, the state continues to have a small Hispanic population compared to other states, according to a new report from the Indiana Business Research Center at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business.

James B. Bullard, who holds a doctorate in economics from Indiana University Bloomington, has been appointed president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis by the bank's board of directors. Bullard will assume his new duties on April 1.

A six-year study of Amazonian small farmers and their responses to climate change shows the farmers are vulnerable to natural catastrophes and risky land use practices, say Indiana University Bloomington anthropologists Eduardo Brondizio and Emilio Moran. The researchers report in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B (now accessible online) that an increase in climate anomalies like El Nino could ultimately drive many small farmers to ruin, forcing them into Brazilian cities that may be ill-equipped to employ, house and feed them.

According to a new report from the Indiana Business Research Center at IU's Kelley School of Business, registered nursing is the hottest job throughout Indiana.

STATS Indiana, an award-winning online resource that provides in-depth information about Indiana and other states, is being relaunched with a new, user-friendly design, a large infusion of new data from state government agencies and other enhancements. It is maintained by the Indiana Business Research Center (IBRC) at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business.

Economists at IU's Kelley School of Business are "cautiously optimistic" in their forecast for 2008. They are predicting national output growth (GDP) of about 2.5 percent. Indiana's GDP will rise about 2 percent next year.

Exports from Indiana to foreign countries reached a record $22.6 billion in 2006, up 5.3 percent over the previous year. A new study, conducted for the Indiana Economic Development Corp. (IEDC) by the Indiana Business Research Center (IBRC) at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business, also suggests that Indiana exports will grow at a faster pace in 2007.

Indiana University's Kelley School of Business will present its national, state and local economic forecasts for 2008, beginning with a presentation Nov. 1 in Indianapolis, followed by similar events in 10 other cities across the state.

Michael R. Baye, the Bert Elwert professor of business economics in the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, has been named director of the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Economics. He follows a tradition of other Kelley School and IU faculty who have served in positions such as the President's Council of Economic Advisers.

In the last three years, the Association of International Business, a leading organization of world economists and scholars, has held its annual meeting in Beijing, Quebec City and Stockholm. This year, Indiana University's Kelley School of Business will host the distinguished group in Indianapolis, on June 25-28.

Embracing innovation is the only way for Western businesses to succeed in the global market, says Indiana University economics Professor David Audretsch, whose new book, The Entrepreneurial Society, is due for release in July (Oxford University Press). He argues that labor will continue to be outsourced abroad as long as the tasks involved are routine and replicable, but companies that reward new ideas, niche markets and community collaboration can thrive on local employment.

A new report from the Association of American Medical Colleges reveals that its member medical schools and teaching hospitals had a combined economic impact of $451 billion on their states and the nation in 2005. In the Hoosier state, Indiana University School of Medicine and partner teaching hospitals, which include Clarian Health, Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center, St. Vincent Hospitals and Wishard Health Services, had a combined economic impact of $7.37 billion.

Economists in Indiana University's Kelley School of Business presented a forecast for 2007 that they characterized as "guardedly optimistic," predicting national output growth (GDP) of about 3 percent next year and slow economic growth in Indiana adding 20,000 to 25,000 new jobs statewide.