After attending a series of panels and seminars focused on the economic forecast for the Austin metro area, it appears 2014 is shaping up to be more of the same. With every major stat tracking toward the positive other than inventory, it feels as if there’s “nothing much new here” to report. Still, let’s try! TRENDS 2013 finally brought a gentle rise in interest rates, something we’ve all been warned about for years. As the Fed just began tapering debt purchases within the past couple of weeks, it seems we’ve already seen the largest jump in interest rates. Though we will see continued increases in interest rates, often forecasted between…