Jewish Communal Fund Economic Outlook Breakfast

Bloomberg radio’s Carol Masser moderated panel discussion at Jewish Communal Fund 3rd Annual Economic Outlook Breakfast

Jewish Communal Fund (JCF) hosted its third annual Economic Outlook Breakfast on Tuesday at the Harmonie Club. Bloomberg Radio’s Carol Massar, co-host of “Taking Stock,” moderated the panel, which featured Goldman Sachs’ Senior Investment Strategist Abby Joseph Cohen, CFA, as well as Dana Saporta, an Economist for Credit Suisse’s Investment Banking division, and Steven Wieting, Citi Private Bank’s Global Chief Investment Officer.

Six years into the economic recovery, we “are at an unprecedented moment,” noted Credit Suisse’s Saporta. The panelists spoke about increased volatility in the financial markets and how rising interest rates will likely hurt portfolios but will not be high enough to impede economic growth or dissuade home buyers.

The labor force is on a “trajectory of improvement,” Wieting said. Still, “there is a mismatch between the skills people have and the jobs that are available,” said Cohen. “This is a structural problem that we are not addressing from a policy perspective.” The economy is becoming service and information-based, but “we are not really training people for the jobs being created.”

The panelists spoke about how rising interest rates would affect the U.S. government’s interest payments on the public debt, which now totals over  $18 trillion.They also addressed swings in currency and how the rising dollar could impact the profits of multinational companies depending on where they do business.

The standing-room only crowd included high-net worth wealth managers, attorneys and financial professionals. The Economic Outlook Breakfast is an annual program organized by the JCF Private Client Group for their Advisor Network to provide educational resources and networking opportunities for professionals in law, accounting, wealth management and finance, often with CLE and CPE credit.  Click here to be added to our growing list of best-in-class service providers in financial advisory, legal, tax and other related professions.