The Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation has released the 2018 update to the Applied Economics Handbook: Make Better Business Decision Using Economics intended to provide equipment finance executives with insights on how to leverage economic data and tools to benefit their businesses. The first Applied Economics Handbook was released in 2016.

The handbook, prepared by economics and public policy consulting firm Keybridge Research, covers economic data from a variety of private and government sources, and emphasizes research tailored to the equipment finance industry. In addition to a series of real-world case studies that summarize how industry leaders are using economic data and analysis, also included are:

• A framework for the U.S. economy as it relates to the equipment finance industry
• Methods for forecasting business volume
• Techniques for portfolio management
• Approaches for anticipating shifts in portfolio performance and managing risk.

“Many equipment finance firms, particularly smaller independents, have limited in-house analytical capabilities and experience using applied economics techniques,” said Tom Ware, Foundation Research Committee Chair. “The Applied Economics Handbook offers industry participants guidance for an enhanced level of sophistication in their decision-making.”

Download the updated handbook here.