ACCORDING to Fed President Charles Evans who came to participate at the Asian Financial Forum gathering where some 2,000 business and government leaders from around the world in Hong Kong, the US economy is expected to grow by 2.5 per cent in 2013, which is likely to improve to 3.5 per cent growth in 2014 .He also forecasted that the US unemployment rate would be 7.4 per cent this year, easing to about 7 per cent in 2014.

Last month, Fed policy makers said they expected GDP growth of between 2.3 and 3.0 per cent this year, and expected to be 3-3.5 per cent in 2014.

The forum will be focusing on Asia in general and the world beyond, with a panel discussion on global investment opportunities this afternoon and another on food and agriculture . Workshops range from Asian financial integration to a spotlight on Myanmar investment and a look at private wealth management.