UNC Asheville’s 23rd annual Economic Crystal Ball Seminar will be held on Thursday, April 26, at UNC Asheville’s Reuter Center. Noted economists David W. Berson and James F. Smith will speak. The event is free and open to the public.

The seminar, sponsored by the UNC Asheville Economics Department and RBC Centura, begins with a 6:15 p.m. reception, followed by the speakers at 7 p.m., and a question-and-answer period at 8 p.m.

The economic outlook portion of the program will focus on inflation, employment, interest rates, and the strength of the dollar and housing market. The financial outlook presentation will explore the implications of Federal Reserve policy for financial markets. Various investments will be addressed, with an emphasis on interest rates and the bond market.

Berson, vice president and chief economist at Fannie Mae, is responsible for forecasting interest rates and the housing market. He is a past president of the National Association of Business Economists, and has been chief financial economist at Wharton Econometrics Forecasting Associates and a visiting scholar with the Federal Reserve.

Smith, twice named the best economic forecaster by the Wall Street Journal, is the chief economist at Parsec Financial. He has more than 25 years of experience as an economics forecaster and his career spans private industry, government and academic institutions including tenures with Wharton Econometrics, Union Carbide and the Federal Reserve.

Admission is free, but seating is limited. To register, call UNC Asheville’s Economics Department at 828/251-6550 or e-mail Kimberly Moore at kmoore@unca.edu.