The first of an ongoing series of monthly reports on the national, state and local economy has been released by Don Schunk, research economist for Coastal Carolina University's BB&T Center for Economic and Community Development.

This comprehensive Economic Update includes trends and forecasts of interest rates, GDP growth, job growth, unemployment rates, retail sales, housing and other essential indicators.

The Economic Update can be accessed on Coastal's Web site at the following address: http://www.coastal.edu/business/econcenter/index.html?np=monthly

For more information, contact Don Schunk at 843-349-2485.