Economist Henry "Hank" Fishkind spoke at the Bradenton Area Economic Development Corporation's annual economic forecast breakfast last month on economic issues facing Manatee County in 2020.
The Herald-Tribune reported that Fishkind said that while interest rates and inflation have gone down and trade tensions with China have calmed, it's still a presidential election year and there is a growing threat with Iran, all of which make 2020 a difficult year to predict for economists.
In the Bradenton area, job growth has gone up in 2019 and residential building permits are at sustainable levels, which is one way to predict how construction jobs and the housing market will fare in the area, the news agency reported.
Fishkind said once the presidential election is decided, it will be easier to predict the economic future.
Fishkind is with Fishkind Litigation Services in Orlando. There were more than 400 attendees to the event, the news agency reported.
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