Local business owners will gain insight to help them stay ahead of changes in interest rates, the job market and other emerging financial trends in the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce’s 2025 Economic Forecast released Thursday.
The event will be held at the Balboa Bay Resort and will feature an in-depth presentation by Christopher Schwartz, faculty director of UCI’s Todd and Lisa Halbrook Center for Investment and Asset Management. His analysis aims to help business owners know what to expect and what they need to prepare for success in 2025.
“He has a way of breaking it down in a way that everyone can understand,” said Steve Rozansky, the chamber’s chief executive officer.
Rozanski said Schwartz draws on movies, television and other pop culture to explain complex predictions about Orange County’s financial future in a way that is approachable and easy to apply to real-life situations. It is said that there is. This presentation comes just days after the start of the financial year for most companies, at a time when many are drafting 2025 budgets and making decisions that will impact their businesses and employees.
Rozanski said the presentation comes amid mixed signals and a glimmer of optimism for business owners still moving forward from the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. He said that he was Statistics show that the U.S. labor market has been on a recovery trend for the past four years, but that recovery has slowed in recent months.
Meanwhile, U.S. GDP rose steadily to 2.8% over the summer, indicating that the U.S. economy is accelerating.
While the labor market is showing signs of slowing, inflation appears to be under control. In response, the Federal Reserve announced that it would lower its benchmark interest rate for the first time in four years and shift its strategy toward promoting job growth.
What all of this means for small business owners and large business owners looking to grow in 2025 will be among the topics covered at Thursday’s event. The chamber expects about 300 people to attend.
“This economic forecast is central to our chamber’s mission to educate and support local business owners,” Rozansky said.
The event is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. and run until 1:30 p.m. Admission is $110 per person or $1250 for a table and includes lunch and valet parking.