Bernard M. Markstein is President and Chief Economist, Markstein Advisors, an economic consulting company providing analysis and forecasts of the national economy and construction activity. Dr. Markstein’s experience includes analysis and research in residential and nonresidential construction, housing, real estate, financial markets, macroeconomic issues, and regional markets. He consults with both individual companies and industry trade associations. Dr. Markstein has appeared on Bloomberg Business, CNBC, Fox Business, and Nightly Business Report (PBS). Among publications where he has been quoted are the New York Times, Business Week, Wall Street Journal, BankRate.com, and Forbes. He is a regular participant in the quarterly Bankrate Economic Indicator survey, the AIA Consensus Construction Forecast survey, and the National Association for Business Economics Economic Policy survey. He is a Senior Adviser to Econsult Solutions, Inc. Prior to his current role as an economic consultant, Dr. Markstein was U.S. Chief Economist for Reed Construction Data (now ConstructConnect) where he analyzed, commented on, and forecasted residential and commercial construction activity. Before that, Dr. Markstein was Senior Economist and Vice President, Economic Forecasting and Analysis, for the National Association of Home Builders, providing analysis on national and regional housing issues, on developments and trends in the multifamily housing market, and on the forces affecting building materials prices. Dr. Markstein has also held positions as Chief Economist for Meridian Bancorp, Inc. based in Reading, PA. (since merged into Wells Fargo), manager of the Financial Forecasting Service for Chase Econometrics (now IHS Global Insight), and as Assistant Professor at Temple University's Department of Finance in the School of Business. Among his professional activities, Dr. Markstein has served as the Chair of the National Association for Business Economics (NABE) Real Estate/Construction Roundtable and as Chair for the NABE Financial Roundtable. Dr. Markstein also served as Chair of the Economic Advisory Committee for the Pennsylvania Bankers Association, and is a former president of the Philadelphia Council for Business Economics. Dr. Markstein received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from Brown University and a Doctorate in Economics from Yale University.