MSU-B to compile area economic indicators

MSU-Billings
Economic indicators can play an important role as planning and forecasting tools for the business community, but timely relevant data has been seriously lacking for Eastern Montana and Northern Wyoming.

Now, through a project developed by the Center for Applied Economic Research at Montana State University-Billings, monthly economic indicators will be unveiled on Wednesday, Sept. 25 at a community breakfast meeting. Boise, Idaho, mayor H. Brent Coles will be the featured speaker.

Tom Yoder, director of the Center for Applied Economic Research, said his staff began collecting data in April and is now on schedule to publishing the monthly reports. The gathering of data and interpretation of the results is being accomplished by Center economists Scott Rickard and Ann Adair, and staff member Kristin Wagner. The monthly economic indicator reports will be published in The Gazette and presented on-air by KTVQ-2, Yoder said.

The economic indicators will consist of at least a dozen indexes or components, including:
# Agricultural, with farm price index, crop conditions index and farm production/stocks index.
# BIZDAQ, which represents the publicly-traded stocks of companies with a business presence in the region. Separate weighted indexes will be calculated by sector and region.
# Business Condition, which includes a regional business confidence index, prime lending rates, U.S. growth rate, Canadian growth rate and U.S. capacity utilization rate.
# Employment, with weekly help-wanted counts for Eastern Montana and Northern Wyoming, and county-by-county monthly unemployment rates. Professional services employment will be tracked separately.
# Energy, including energy production, energy prices and energy forecasts.
# Exports, with exchange rates and goods export statistics.
# Real estate and construction, including new building permits, mortgage rates and monthly existing home sales.
# Retail sales.
# Travel, including airline ticket price index, airline traffic, and a visitor index.
# State and federal financing within the region.
# Consumer prices
# Medical demand

http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2002/09/09/build/local/74-econ.inc

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MSU-Billings Center for Applied Economic Research
Becomes Member of ASERTTI

BILLINGS— The Center for Applied Economic Research at Montana State University – Billings recently became a member of the Association of State Energy Research and Technology Transfer Institutions (ASERTTI). Dr. Tom Yoder, Director of the Center, will serve on ASERTTI’s Board of Directors.

ASERTTI is a confederation of state and regional organizations with energy research and development and technology transfer responsibilities. The goal of ASERTTI is to increase the effectiveness of energy research efforts in contributing toward economic growth, environmental quality, and energy security through cooperative partnerships with utilities and other private and public organizations.

Last year the Center for Applied Economic Research started a program in Energy Markets and Technology to provide research services that include identifying market applications and strategy, improving business and operations processes, reducing market and regulatory barriers, and product field testing for emerging energy technologies. The Center is currently performing research on fuel cell technologies in cooperation with Montana-Dakota Utilities.

For more information, contact Tom Yoder at 657-2220

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Rickard Appointed Associated Director and

Regional Economist

BILLINGS – Dr. Scott Rickard has been named Associate Director and Regional Economist for the Center for Applied Economic Research at Montana State University-Billings. He is responsible for managing the regional economics program at the Center.

Rickard brings with him 10 years of experience in regional economic analysis and market research to support regional and local economic development and business expansion efforts.

Prior to joining the Center for Applied Economic Research, Rickard was the market analyst for Cold Water Creek in Sand Point, Idaho.

He received his master’s and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Tennessee in Economics and his bachelor’s degree from Miami of Ohio.