The Week Ahead: What Lies on the Horizon in Q4?

The third 2023 quarterly installment of WFG’s “Quarterly Economic Outlook,” a webinar featuring Williston Financial Group (WFG) Chairman and Founder Patrick F. Stone and Economist and Forbes contributor Bill Conerly, Ph.D., will take place Tuesday, September 12 at 1:00 p.m. Central.

During the live session, Stone and Conerly will provide valuable insights and analysis on the current state of the economy and its impact on the housing market, delve into the latest economic data and trends, and offer predictions for the upcoming quarter and the balance of 2023 and beyond.

“It’s a strange time for the housing sector, with single-family starts up despite higher mortgage rates and fears of recession,” Conerly said. “Pat and I will explore the real estate market, as well as the prospects for interest rates, inflation, and the economic outlook.”

Participation in WFG’s “Quarterly Economic Outlook” is open to all, but reservations are required and may be made by signing up here. The hour-long webinar includes commentary from both Stone and Conerly, as well as a Q&A session.

During the Q2 2023 webinar in May, Stone and Conerly addressed current market conditions, sharing their thoughts on the economy and the U.S. housing market. They also answered pre-submitted questions from the more than 1,000 industry professionals who registered for the live event. Discussion topics included short- and long-range outlooks for the housing and title insurance industries, property value projections, home improvement activity, the use of title alternatives, commercial real estate lending and refinancing trends, recent bank failings, regional real estate activity, the impact of AI on the real estate industry, and suggestions on how business owners can take advantage of the downturn in the economy.

“When we launched our Quarterly Economic Outlook webinar series during the pandemic, our initial goal was to communicate and connect with title and settlement services professionals and provide them with information that would help them be successful,” Stone said. “Since then, attendance has grown to more than 1,000 participants, with a much broader base of participants. It’s incredibly rewarding to know that our attendees find the information we share with them both enlightening and beneficial.”

Stone’s career in real estate and related services includes C-level positions with three public companies and serving as a Director on two Fortune 500 boards. His senior executive management positions include nine years as President and COO of the nation’s largest title insurance company, Chairman and Co-CEO of a software company, and CEO of a real estate data and information company. Stone also served as Vice Chairman of Metrocities Mortgage, a 2005 top-20 mortgage lender, and as Chairman of The Stone Group, an Austin, Texas-based tenant-represented brokerage company.

Conerly has a Ph.D. in economics from Duke University, and more than 30 years of experience helping companies adapt to changing economic conditions. He was formerly SVP at a major bank, and held positions in economics and corporate planning at two Fortune 500 corporations. He is also an online contributor to Forbes, Chairman of the board of Cascade Policy Institute, and the author of The Flexible Stance: Thriving in a Boom/Bust Economy (2016) and Businomics (2007), a book about economics for business leaders.

Click here for more information or to register for this event.

Here's what else is happening in The Week Ahead:

• Fannie Mae's Refinance Application-Level Index (RALI) (Tuesday)
• U.S. Banking Committee Hearing: Housing Supply and Innovation (Tuesday)
• MBA Weekly Applications Survey (Wednesday)
• Realtor.com Weekly Housing Market Recap (Wednesday)
• Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (Thursday)
• U.S. Department of Labor's Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report (Thursday)