Futurecast Tour gives a glimpse into potential 2026 economy

KOKOMO, Ind. - How will tariffs impact the economy in 2026? How will Indiana and the Howard County area perform?

Get an inside look by attending the Futurecast 2026 economic outlook tour, presented by the Indiana University Kelley School of Business. IU Kokomo will host the tour at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, November 11 in the Kelley Student Center, Room 130.

The event is free, but preregistration is required by October 29. Seating is limited. You can register here.

Howard County community and business leaders will join IU economists to discuss how the forecast will impact Indiana's economy in a national and global context. The tour will travel to 11 cities statewide throughout the month, starting October 30.

Dean Chittibabu Govindarajalu will moderate the discussion. Panelists include Kyle Anderson, clinical assistant professor of economics; Robb Blume, president and CEO of Community First Bank, Kokomo; Mark Frolich, associate professor of operations management; Alan Krabbenhoft, professor of economics; and Russell Rhoads, clinical associate professor of financial management. They will provide insights on likely trends in gross domestic product growth, inflation, interest rates, and employment, and will unpack the most likely scenarios for businesses, as well as factors that may shape both the economy and financial markets next year.

"As we enter our next century of providing strategic guidance and data for businesses and policy-makers, events like the Futurecast tour and publications like the Indiana Business Review remain as relevant as ever," said Phil Powell, clinical associate professor of business economics and public policy at Kelley and executive director of the school's Indiana Business Research Center.

"A hundred years ago, when our center was established, people felt better about the economy than the data suggested," he said. "Today, we have an inversion where many are more pessimistic about conditions than they really need to be."

In tandem with its partners, the Kelley School of Business has presented its national, state, and local forecasts each year since 1972. Data housed at the IBRC has been instrumental in generating the forecasts, which contextualize economic risk and uncertainty and help Hoosier communities and businesses plan for the next year.

The event is co-hosted by the IU Kokomo School of Business, the IBRC, and the Kelley School of Business. For more information, go to ibrc.indiana.edu/outlook/kokomo.

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