The Holiday Season Brings a Mixed Economic Forecast for 2015

NSU Subject Matter Expert in Finance and Economics Predicts Cautious Growth for the Coming Year

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Dec 17, 2014, 12:11 ET

FORT LAUDERDALE-DAVIE, Fla., Dec. 17, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- While most of us are focused on gift buying, planning parties and the overall busyness of the holiday season, some economists across the country are already predicting their forecasts for 2015.

Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is home to a nationally renowned expert who can provide answers and insight on the global, national, and local economic forecast. Albert Williams, Ph.D., is an associate professor of finance and economics at NSU's H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship. Williams has taught courses in personal finance, corporate finance, macroeconomics, microeconomics, and managerial economics. He has provided the media with his expertise on current economic and finance issues and, on several occasions, was featured on the PBS television segment Current Issues.

In his Economic Forecast for 2015 presentation, Williams gives a comprehensive overview of the economic expectations for the coming year. Overall, the economic forecast is mostly positive with a few weak areas. Global growth is increasing but more slowly, commonly called the "new mediocre" or "cautious growth." Highlights from the Global and U.S forecast include:

The global growth projection for 2015 is expected to be 3.8 percent
Commodity and Oil Prices will decline
U.S. GDP is forecasted to grow 3.1 percent and inflation to remain at 2 percent
U.S. Unemployment will remain under 6 percent
Government deficit to drop to $469 billion from $506 billion (estimated) in 2014
Home prices to increase about 7.2 percent

Highlights from Williams' Florida forecast include:

Florida GDP is forecasted to be above 2 percent for 2015
Unemployment rate expected to drop
Consumer confidence expected to increase
House prices expected to increase

"The economic forecast shows steady growth for the United States. Low fuel prices are good for global consumers," said Williams.

Williams' experiences stem from a varied career in academia, economics, and finance in the U.S. and the Caribbean. His deep understanding of business and public service grew through positions as a project officer in the Development Finance Corporation in Belizean agricultural economist for the government of Belize, and he also spent five years as the CEO of the Belize Marketing Board. He expanded his knowledge in business in the United States by becoming a commodity analyst at Restaurant Services, Inc., the purchasing arm of Burger King Corporation.

He holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics education from the University of Calgary in Canada, a master's degree in agricultural economics and a doctorate degree in agricultural and applied economics both from the University of Georgia. Williams' research is focused on behavioral finance, personal finance, development economics (including poverty), investments, management, and ethnicity. His diverse career in both the public and private sector, strong academic background, and his down-to-earth approach have resulted in his position as a sought-after lecturer on the topics of finance (including personal finance), and economics for students, public officers, and private sector groups in Belize, the Bahamas and Florida.

About Nova Southeastern University: Situated on 314 beautiful acres in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is a dynamic research institution dedicated to providing high-quality educational programs at all levels. NSU is an independent, not-for-profit institution with approximately 26,000 students at campuses in Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, Palm Beach and Tampa, Florida as well as San Juan, Puerto Rico. NSU awards associate's, bachelor's, master's, specialist, doctoral and first-professional degrees in a wide range of fields. NSU is classified as a research university with "high research activity" by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and it is one of only 37 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie's Community Engagement Classification. For more information, please visit www.nova.edu. Celebrating 50 years of academic excellence!

About the H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship: Serving more than 4,000 students, the H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship at Nova Southeastern University offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in areas such as accounting, finance, human resource management, public administration, supply chain management and more. The school is housed in the five-story state-of-the-art Carl DeSantis Building on Nova Southeastern University's main campus in Fort Lauderdale-Davie, Florida. Programs are also available at multiple locations and online. For more information, visit http://www.huizenga.nova.edu/

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SOURCE Nova Southeastern University