DC Velocity - December 2018

BY BEN AMES, SENIOR NEWS EDITOR

THE DC VELOCITY Q&A

thoughtleaders

AS THE PRESIDENT OF PRESTIGE ECONOMICS, AN Austin, Texas-based financial market research and consulting firm, Jason Schenker acts as a sort of professional fortune-teller. By digging deep into government reports, federal statistics, and policy papers, Schenker charts the numbers that drive our stock prices, trading trends, interest rates, and economic booms … or recessions.

Schenker also has a knack for bringing these dull spread-sheets to life, pointing out the specific figures that can move markets and pulling back the curtain on the way it works. His predictions hit their target so often that the firm is consistently ranked as one of the most accurate economic forecasters in the world. He also runs The Futurist Institute, which trains analysts to predict the future based on current trends and view business opportunities, risk management, markets, and the economy from a long-term perspective.

DC VELOCITY Senior News Editor Ben Ames caught up with Schenker in October at MHI’s 2018 Conference and Executive Summit in Orlando, Fla., just after he delivered a keynote address about the economic prospects for the material handling, logistics, and supply chain sectors. The following is an edited version of his remarks; for the full version of the interview, check out the video on our website ( www.dcvelocity.com/dcvtv/news/).

QWhat are some of the main themes that you’ve been sharing with attendees here at the MHI show? A Well, the main theme is that 2018 was a good year, and we see 2019 as a little bit slower. There are rising downside risks from tighter monetary policy and the ongoing trade war between the U.S. and China, and there are even more risks to the downside for 2020.