Commodity Prices, Macro-Economic Outlook, C$, and Interest Rates

Daniel Summer, Economist - ATB Financial (Thursday)

Dan Summer was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan where he lived until his early twenties.  While in Saskatoon, Dan received his B.A. Honors in Business Economics from the University of Saskatchewan in 2007, and shortly thereafter attended Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario to obtain a Masters of Arts in Economics.

Calgary became Dan's home town in August 2008, when he also began working for ATB Financial as an economist.  In this current role, Dan is involved in tracking and forecasting economic trends in Alberta for business planning purposes and communicating with ATB employees and the media regarding current events in Alberta's economy.

Often quoted in the Alberta print media, Dan also appears as an economic commentator on local and national television.  Dan is currently in the process of obtaining his CFA designation.

Todd Hirsch, Senior Economist - ATB Financial (Friday)

Todd Hirsch received his BA Honors in Economics from the University of Alberta, and an MA in Economics from the University of Calgary.

Since completing his education in 1993, he has held a series of economist positions at a variety of for-profit and public sector organizations, including the Canada West Foundation, the Canadian Pacific Railway, and the Bank of Canada.

Todd joined ATB Financial in May 2007 as Senior Economist where he provides economic information and intelligence to the various lines of business at ATB. He also tracks current developments in Alberta’s and North America's economy and delivers presentations to both internal and external audiences.

Todd appears regularly as an economic commentator on CBC radio, BNN, the Globe and Mail, and various local and national news programs. He also teaches a course in economics at the University of Calgary, serves as a mentor for the Economics Society of Calgary’s student mentorship program, and is the Chair the Board of Directors of the Calgary Arts Academy. In 2011 Todd was recognized as one of Alberta’s 50 Most Influential People by Alberta Venture magazine.

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