Anirban Basu, chief economist for Associated Builders and Contractors, worked his magic on June 10, connecting the economic dots for hundreds of attendees in a Construction Executive webinar discussing how the COVID-19 pandemic has rocked a nearly invincible economy, wreaking havoc on the construction industry, and how the current recession might dovetail into prospective growth in the future.
Basu helped listeners grasp the impacts of the pandemic on GDP, inflation, employment, construction spending and materials prices, as well as provided an update on ABC’s Construction Backlog Indicator and Construction Confidence Index survey results, using humor to ensure participants walk away with both a grasp of their economic future and a smile.
He also conducted a Q&A session, where attendees received answers to questions such as:
- What are some of the positive impacts of COVID-19 on the economy?
- Which shape does Basu forecast for a recovery—“V,” “Swoosh,” “W” or something else?
- How would a change of administration impact the economic outlook?
- Which markets will struggle in the next 12 months?
- Given the “new normal” of social distancing, will there be a significant trend in the retooling of office space?
The webinar was sponsored by Hudson Insurance Group, Smith Currie, FOUNDATION Software and Autodesk Construction Cloud.
For additional webinar resources, visit the archive at webinars.constructionexec.com.
