Barron’s Events: Future U.S. Economic Prospects

Alright, so when you think “Chief Economist at a big ol’ bank,” you imagine someone who’s like a combo of a crystal ball gazer and a number crunching wizard. That’s pretty much Beth Ann Bovino for ya. At U.S. Bank, she isn’t just doing your average humdrum economic studies—oh no, she’s jazzing things up with some seriously savvy forecasting magic. She’s got her fingers in all kinds of pies, anything from balance-sheet whatnots to stress testing like it’s an extreme sport. Sounds fun, yeah? Sure, if you like living on the edge of nerdiness.

Bovino, probably a master of juggling a bazillion thoughts, has been knee-deep in macroeconomic stuff and financial gobbledygook for nearly 30 years. Before she rocked up at U.S. Bank, she was top boss lady for North American economics at S&P Global—another hefty badge on her hat. There, she was prophesying economic earthquakes and soothing market meltdowns. She didn’t just stop there; nope, she’s danced through roles at Sungard, UBS Warburg, and even the Federal Reserve in Atlanta. Seems like if there’s an important economic corner of the world, she’s poked around in it.

In 2013, The Wall Street Journal did some head-nodding to her prediction prowess, handing her the gold star for U.S. economic forecasting. Fast forward to 2018, and she’s still raking in those kudos as the second-best. Not bad to have a second badge along with the first, right? Plus, some honorary YWCA spotlight happened when they clapped her into their YW Academy of Women Leaders for championing ladies in work, adding some sass in 2018. Oh, and her brainy bits were sharpened at places like the Wharton School (Penn), Yale, and Columbia where she snagged herself a trio of degrees—all tall, smart, and fancy. She hangs her hat in NYC, strutting between crammed subways and Wall Street suits, possibly concocting the next big economic revelation whilst eating a hot dog.