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: Media Contact: Isabell Grygianiec, Marketing Manager, [phone], [email protected]