Morningstar Canada Announces Agenda for 8th Annual Morningstar Investment
Conference in Toronto on June 9
TORONTO, March 25 /CNW/ - Morningstar Research Inc., a Canadian subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc. (Nasdaq: MORN), today announced the agenda and speaker lineup for its eighth annual Morningstar Investment Conference in Toronto on June 9, 2010 at The Carlu. Driven by Morningstar's commitment to provide advisors with the knowledge, resources, and insight to better serve their clients, this year's Morningstar Investment Conference features a mix of timely investing topics that will help advisors and their clients take advantage of market opportunities.
During a series of keynote presentations and panel discussions, delegates will hear engaging discussions on a range of investing topics including behavioral finance, the outlook for emerging markets, fixed-income investing strategies, stock-picking strategies from the perspective of portfolio managers, the strengths and weaknesses of competing fund structures, tips and tools for analyzing exchange-traded funds, and the outlook for domestic and international markets.
"The Morningstar Investment Conference is designed to help educate advisors about the extraordinary market developments we have witnessed over the past several years, and how best to position their clients' portfolios in today's post-crash, low-yield environment," said Scott Mackenzie, president and CEO of Morningstar Canada. "We have convened an accomplished group of leading experts in their respective fields to discuss the economic and market outlook, present specific opportunities and strategies, and debate the merits of different investment structures."
All of the presentations will be seeking accreditation for Continuing Education credits and Professional Development units. Attendees will include financial advisors and brokers accredited through the Mutual Fund Dealers Association of Canada and the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada; certified financial planners; marketing, product management, and research personnel; and the financial media.
Sessions at the 2010 Morningstar Investment Conference in Toronto include:
- Think Twice: Why Our Minds Are Prone to Investment Mistakes Michael J. Mauboussin, Chief Investment Strategist, Legg Mason Capital Management Our minds did not evolve to make decisions that are common in investing. For example, investors routinely buy assets following a period of price appreciation and sell after a drop. This behavior was pronounced in the recent financial crisis, and shows how recent asset price changes lead to poor decisions. This talk will touch on some ways that investors' minds tend to go astray, and will offer some concrete methods to mitigate potential mistakes. - The Search for Yield Terry Carr, Vice President and Managing Director of Fixed Income, MFC Global Investment Management (Canada) As waves of baby boomers approach or reach retirement, more investors than ever want their portfolios to generate regular income. Yet with interest rates at historic lows globally, the search for yield has never been more challenging. MFC Global's fixed-income strategist Terry Carr will explain why it's essential to look beyond top-rated government bonds to riskier and potentially much more rewarding securities such as high-yielding corporate bonds and sovereign emerging-market debt. Tactical fixed-income shifts and currency hedging will also be discussed. - Emerging Markets: Charting a Course Gavin Ivory, Vice President of Global Equities, Beutel Goodman & Co. Ltd. Patricia Perez-Coutts, CFA, Senior Vice President and Portfolio Manager, AGF Investments Inc. Chuk Wong, CFA, Vice President and Portfolio Manager, Goodman & Co., Investment Counsel Ltd. Moderated by: Sonita Horvitch, columnist, Morningstar.ca Booming economies and booming markets have gone hand-in-hand for high-growth nations such as China, India, and Brazil. Home to more than half of the world's population, they are not only leading exporters, but huge domestic markets in their own right. What's next for these and other developing markets in Asia, Europe, and Latin America? Join two portfolio managers who will discuss how they are taking advantage of the opportunities, and another who will provide a critical perspective on these volatile markets. - The Great Debate: Mutual Funds vs. ETFs Tom Bradley, President and Co-Founder, Steadyhand Investment Management Ltd. David Feather, President, Mackenzie Financial Services Inc. Peter Intraligi, President and Chief Operating Officer, Invesco Trimark Ltd. Som Seif, Chief Executive Officer and Director, Claymore Investments, Inc. Moderated by: Rob Carrick, columnist, The Globe and Mail Traditional open-end funds still make up the great bulk of fund assets in Canada, but exchange-traded funds are narrowing the gap. ETF assets, and the number of offerings, are growing by leaps and bounds. In addition, ETFs have expanded far beyond their passive- index origins into enhanced indexing, specialty mandates and--most recently--fully active investing. Are ETFs, which are still in their relative infancy, destined to challenge mutual funds for overall dominance? Join our panel of industry executives as they debate the strengths and weaknesses of competing fund structures. - Tactical ETF Investing: From Idea to Execution Scott Burns, Director of ETF Analysis, Morningstar, Inc. Scott Burns, Morningstar's director of ETF analysis, will walk through the investment decision process his team utilizes in their "Hands-On" Tactical ETF portfolio. Most investors start and finish their ETF research with the name of the fund and its expense ratio, but analysts know that investors need to look much deeper to ensure the right ETF matches their investment thesis. Join Burns as he peels back the layers of ETFs and shares tips and tools for analyzing portfolio construction, holdings, correlations, and liquidity. - Focus on Stocks: Weighing in on the Winners Daniel Bubis, President and Chief Investment Officer, Tetrem Capital Management Ltd. Ted Macklin, Managing Director, Guardian Capital LP Suzann Pennington, Chief Investment Officer, Howson Tattersall Investment Counsel Ltd. Moderated by: Sonita Horvitch, columnist, Morningstar.ca Viewed in isolation, lists of stocks that portfolio managers are buying or selling aren't very meaningful. Instead, they should be viewed in the context of the manager's investment discipline. Representing contrasting investment styles and strategies, three veteran managers of Canadian equities will discuss specific picks that exemplify their approaches to managing money, along with names that fail to meet their criteria. Find out the assumptions behind the managers' picks and why someone's favoured pick may be another manager's discard. - Economic Outlook Panel: The Big Picture Craig Alexander, Senior Vice President and Deputy Chief Economist, TD Bank Financial Group Scott Colbourne, Senior Portfolio Manager, Sprott Asset Management LP Patricia Croft, Vice President and Chief Economist, Phillips, Hager & North Investment Management Inc. Moderated by: Scott Mackenzie, President and CEO, Morningstar Research Inc. A panel of economists and fund managers will discuss their outlook for the global economy and share their thoughts on the latest developments in equity and fixed-income markets. What are the biggest risks to global growth? How quickly and significantly are interest rates likely to rise? What's in store for the Canadian dollar? Which market sectors look promising? These and many more questions are up for debate.
Attendee Registration
Registration for the Morningstar Investment Conference is $219 plus applicable taxes until April 23, 2010, and $269 plus applicable taxes thereafter. Full conference information including the agenda, registration, as well as sponsorship and exhibiting opportunities is available at http://corporate.morningstar.com/ca/mic.
Media Registration
Complimentary media passes are available. To secure your place, please contact us by e-mail at [email protected].
About Morningstar
Morningstar Research Inc. is a Canadian subsidiary of Chicago-based Morningstar, Inc., a leading provider of independent investment research in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. The company offers an extensive line of Internet, software, and print-based products and services for individuals, financial advisors, and institutions. Morningstar provides data on approximately 350,000 investment offerings, including stocks, mutual funds, and similar vehicles, along with real-time global market data on more than 4 million equities, indexes, futures, options, commodities, and precious metals, in addition to foreign exchange and Treasury markets. The company has operations in 20 countries and minority ownership positions in companies based in two other countries.
For further information: For further information: Media Contact: Isabell Grygianiec, Marketing Manager, (416) 484-7868, [email protected]
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