Local economist Paul Brewbaker is scheduled to share his outlook on Hawaii’s economy at a business group luncheon Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Hawaii Prince Hotel in Waikiki.

The Hawaii Society of Business Professionals is hosting the event, which is open to guests.

The cost for guests is $56.50.

For more information, go to hsbp.biz.

ECB initiates broad stimulus campaign

FRANKFURT, Germany >> European Central Bank launched an unexpectedly broad array of stimulus measures last week aimed at boosting a modest economic recovery in the 19 countries that use the euro and nudging up dangerously low inflation.

The steps, which ranged from interest rate cuts to cheap loans to banks, included several measures many analysts hadn’t anticipated, such as expanding its monthly bond-buying stimulus program to include corporate bonds.

The ECB, the monetary authority for the euro countries, is struggling to raise inflation from a worryingly low annual rate of minus 0.2 percent toward its goal of just under 2 percent, considered healthiest for the economy.