This one has been around for a while now. We have seen how the sub-prime lending crisis brought the US and European banking systems to their knees. The story goes that the Australian banking system is also a time bomb waiting to happen...

The rise in prices for natural resources and the associated planned increase in Australian-based capacity to supply key commodities is one of the largest economic events in our history. I will structure my remarks around four questions: What do we know from previous booms? What do we know about this one? What don't we know? How should we respond?

The tectonic plates of the Arab world have ruptured and the geopolitical fault lines that have shaped and defined the region for sixty years have shifted inexorably. What does that mean for investing?

The Summer Seminar 2011 debated the following three carefully selected topics, in a Socratic learning environment: Forever blowing bubbles; Avoiding avoidable mistakes; and, Agency risk and portfolio construction...

The 10-hour Critical Issues Forum is one of two key components of the annual PortfolioConstruction Conference. It is a totally independent 10-hour plenary program featuring interactive sessions and selected international and local portfolio experts, designed by our specialist, experienced and independent team to cover two of our three pillars – Markets and Strategies. This Resources Kit - available only to Conference delegates - comprises videos, podcasts, papers and slides along with questions/comments raised by delegates during the program...

In this 2010 PortfolioConstruction Conference Critical Issues Forum session, David Owyong, Head of Quantitative Research with MSCI Barra, explained the critical changes ahead for portfolio construction practices, particularly management of extreme events, SAA and risk management...

This Academy Seminar debated three carefully selected topics, in a Socratic learning environment: Currency (to hedge or not to hedge); Adventures in asset allocation; and, The US economy (now and possible future scenarios)...

Our global debt investment experts - Kumar Palghat of Kapstream Capital and Dan Norman of ING Investment Management - gave their views of the current status and 2010-2012 outlook for the global debt markets including the key risks and opportunities, and signposts to watch for...

Are we there yet? Having passed through the GFC fire, and survived largely in tact, it was time to confirm the lessons learned and revisit the road(s) to recovery. A dozen independently selected investment experts engaged in a high quality discussion of investment markets and the risks and opportunities ahead in 2010-2012...

PortfolioConstruction Markets Summit 2010 kicked off with publisher, Graham Rich, asking whether we be satisfied with the past decade of success - during which we unwittingly travelled through an historical inflection point of modern history - and asked in terms of the post GFC economic recovery "are we there yet?"...

The business, economic and investment landscape of the 21st century will be defined by the Big Rapidly Industrialising Countries, in particular Brazil, Rusia, India and China. Delegates left this Emerging Markets Masterclass with a deeper understanding of the global emerging markets and their growing role in investment portfolios - as well as hearing from the BRIC Ambassadors to Australia on their first joint appearance...

Having experienced some of the most difficult market conditions in 50 years over the past 12 months, it was an ideal time to review our asset allocation strategies and how we go about investing for clients. This Masterclass focused on the latest ideas from academia and leading edge practitioners, the lessons we should take away from the GFC experience, and how we should go about formulating our investment strategy going forward? Delegates left this Masterclass with a thorough understanding of some new approaches to asset allocation, how markets should perform in this new environment, and the key things to monitor along the way...

This Critical Issues Forum from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2009 - featuring Tim Farrelly and our six Due Diligence Forum Researchers - ensured delegates determined their key take outs from Conference, and actions to take as a result when building investor portfolios...

This Critical Issues Forum from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2009 - featuring Hong-Kong-based Dr Marc Faber - argued that post Global Financial Crisis recession-busting policy measures may aggravate and prolong the problem, and that the recession will deepen...

This Due Diligence Forum Research Paper and Presentation from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2009 argue that investors should not let the level of portfolio risk automatically determine portfolio allocations, as is the case with Strategic Asset Allocation, but rather that portfolio allocations should have regard for the risk and liquidity requirements of the investor...

Despite an appalling 2008, the hedge fund industry spin continues, with managers comparing hedge fund returns to equity market performance. But what if we make a sensible comparison – against diversified funds? With the tide now out, the myths are laid bare...

The PortfolioConstruction Investment Markets Summit 2009 brought together over 300 industry professionals, for a a pan-industry high quality, high value, intelligent discussion by a faculty of international and local investment experts about key investment markets and their risks and opportunities in 2009/2010...

The following is an introductory review and synopsis of recent commentary on the Global Financial Crisis. What are the possible "road(s) to recovery"? And, what are the sign posts? What are the implications for portfolios, and how do we communicate them to investors?