Description

Our January General Membership Meeting will feature Matthew K. Martin, PhD., Senior Vice President and Charlotte Regional Executive for the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. 

Last week the Fed increased interest rates again, by .5%, to 4.25% to 4.5%, the highest level in 15 years. 

Martin will give Western Upstate REALTORS® an assessment of the economy and the economic conditions that have resulted in the increase in interest rates. Martin will talk about the economic conditions that the Federal Reserve has found that has resulted in their increase in interest rates. He’ll also discuss the outlook for future rate increases. 

The Federal Reserve extensively researches economic and business conditions throughout fifth district region that includes South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, and Washington DC. Martin leads that research in the Carolinas.

About Our Speaker:

Matt Martin is a regional executive at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. He is based in the Charlotte office, where he leads the bank's outreach efforts across North Carolina and South Carolina.

As part of the nation's central bank, the Richmond Fed supports the monetary policy process by engaging business, banking, and community leaders throughout the District to gain a real-time understanding of the state of the economy and the challenges facing our communities.

Martin joined the Richmond Fed as a regional economist in 2006 and was promoted into his current role in 2009. Prior to joining the Bank, he worked as a senior economist for Moody's Analytics and as an analyst at the Congressional Budget Office. He also spent time as a faculty member at Kent State University where he taught macroeconomics, money and banking, and economic history.  Martin is a member of the Belk School of Business advisory board at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte.  He is a native of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and earned a degree in economics from the U.S. Military Academy and a doctorate in economics from University of Delaware.