40th Annual Economic Outlook Symposium
Friday, 12/11/26
8:00 AM
Breakfast and registration
8:30 AM
Welcome Remarks
8:40 AM
Fireside Chat with Austan Goolsbee
Speaker
Austan Goolsbee, President & CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
Kai Ryssdal, Host and Senior Editor, Marketplace
9:25 AM
Break I
9:30 AM
Chicago Fed Contact Experiences in 2026
Moderator
John Wanamaker, All Things Considered Host, Iowa Public Radio
Panelists
Ping Liang, Nucor
Fred Payne, United Way Central Indiana
Travis Simpson, Northwest Bank
Jesse Venegas, President, Ideal Group
10:20 AM
Break II
10:30 AM
Consensus Forecast for 2027 & Recognition of 2026 Forecast Winners
Speaker
Thomas Walstrum, Principal Business Economist, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
11:00 AM
Outlook for the Energy Sector
Speaker
Kenneth Medlock, Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University
12:00 PM
Break & Boxed Lunches
12:30 PM
AI and the Labor Market
Speaker
Kristen Broady, Senior Economist and Economic Advisor and Director of the Economic Mobility Project, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
1:30 PM
Event concludes
40th Annual Economic Outlook Symposium
Please join us on Friday, December 11, 2026, from 8:00am to 1:30pm CT for the 40th annual Economic Outlook Symposium at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. The symposium will examine the forces shaping the U.S. economy as we look forward to 2027. This hybrid event will feature the following:
- A fireside chat with Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee
- A consensus outlook for the economy from conference participants given by Chicago Fed economist Thomas Walstrum
- An outlook for the energy sector from Rice University economist Kenneth Medlock III
- An overview of Chicago Fed economist Kristin Broady’s research on AI and the labor market
Forecast competition
When you register, you will be invited to submit a forecast of four economic indicators to be included in the consensus outlook for 2027. No forecasting experience is required.
