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As always, our conference works a bit differently from many. Instead of permitting sponsors to pay to place speakers, we feature those speakers who we believe are among the top experts in their field. The result is a group of extremely high quality experts who have all been selected because we think they’re among the best at what they do, and because we believe they have something highly relevant to say to our audience. The conference is open to all investors, financial advisers, and institutions.
I'll briefly note some of the highlights below, but I encourage you to review the full agenda here.
Nagaswami to Give Global Investment Outlook
Alliance Bernstein is one of the largest asset managers in the world, and runs funds that span the global and style spectrum. As such, CIO Ranji Nagaswami can tap into a wealth of cutting-edge research. She will share with delegates her views on the global investment environment and the risks and opportunities that lie ahead.
Bolton and Plackett on UK Equities
We're also privileged to have two distinguished UK equity experts join us for a panel discussion: Fidelity's Anthony Bolton is best known for his bottom-up research into company fundamentals, but he also believes there are periods when top-down factors can be more useful. Bolton will address when such points can occur and how top-down analysis can complement fundamental research. Small-cap specialist Richard Plackett of Merrill Lynch/BlackRock's presentation should be of particular interest given the mass de-rating of UK small-caps at the end of 2007 as well as the implications of the credit crisis for the M&A activity that had helped fuel small-cap returns prior to 2007.
Pimco's Baz on the Credit Crisis
At last year's conference, we heard from Keith Anderson (then BlackRock's CIO for fixed-income) that the credit crisis would get worse before it got better, with a particular focus on mortgage resets in the U.S. in 2008 and 2009. This year, Jamil Baz of Pimco--one of the world's premier fixed interest managers--will tell us what his firm's research is suggesting as we sink further into the credit crunch. Is the downturn creating opportunity, are central bankers reacting appropriately, and what are the risks going forward? Baz is well positioned to answer these and other questions you have about the central issues facing credit markets today.
Martin Currie's Walker on U.S. Equities
The U.S. is largely agreed to have entered a period of recession, and the housing market and consumers continue to struggle. But does that mean you shouldn't have exposure, or is the downturn helping create opportunities. Martin Currie's Tom Walker runs one of the most successful North America funds around, and will share his views on the world's largest equity market.
Naik on Hedge Funds and the Potential of Replication
Professor Narayan Naik, Director of the BNP Paribas Hedge Fund Centre at London Business School is widely known for his research into hedge fund management and performance. Naik has worked extensively in the area of hedge-fund replication, which posits that--despite the high fees of hedge funds--their performance characteristics can be replicated by an alternative-beta index. He will discuss the merits of replication versus direct hedge-fund investment and examine the performance replication products have been able to deliver thus far.
Other notable topics include Retirement Income, Portfolio Construction, New Developments in Asset Allocation, and a panel on Fund Industry Trends. Click here for complete information.
