Kurt E. Karl is a Managing Director and head of Swiss Re’s Economic Research and Consulting, working in its global headquarters in Zurich. As such, Dr. Karl has responsibility for the Swiss Re’s “sigma,” the insurance industry’s premier publication. In addition, he supports Swiss Re’s strategic planning and provides internal consulting on products and economic risks. Finally, he supplies insights and forecasts on the U.S. and global economies to Swiss Re and for use in a variety of corporate decisions, including asset management. He is an expert on the U.S. and global re/insurance markets, with extensive experience and knowledge of foreign markets and has lived and worked in London, Swaziland and Thialand. Dr. Karl is a contributor to many forecasting surveys, including those of Blue Chips and Consensus.