NAFCU Journal July August 2021

Economic Outlook Roundtable What to Watch in Second Half of 2021 Sheryl S. Jackson Every year several members of the Credit Union Eco- nomics Group (CUEG) provide their forecast on the factors that might affect the U.S. economy in the upcoming year, and how those effects might impact credit unions. While previous years’ articles appeared in the January-February issue of The NAFCU Journal, this year’s article was delayed, allowing for extra time to see how some of 2020’s unpredictable events might carry over into 2021. While these economic experts presented their opinions based on information available at the time of their April interviews, 2020 taught everyone to expect the unex- pected. Specific social, environmental, legal, and finan- cial changes that can affect segments of the economy may have taken place during the weeks between the interviews and the publication date. The following observations provide a snapshot of economic pre- dictors in early spring and identify the key areas that credit union leaders can follow and evaluate for the remaining months of the year. 14 THE NAFCU JOURNAL July–August 2021