Mercer forum examines the big investment picture


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Mercer examines the big investment picture at Asia Pacific Investment Forum: Australia

Australia
Melbourne, 9 April 2008

Mercer examines the big investment picture at Asia Pacific Investment Forum

While the superannuation and funds management industry may have taken a hit in the recent global capital market turmoil, Mercer believes now more than ever is the right time for investors to look for new value creating opportunities.

To provide its institutional clients and fund managers with ideas on how to capture value going forward, Mercer is presenting the Asia Pacific Investment Forum in Melbourne 1 and 2 May. This annual regional conference will address new thinking on alternative asset classes, ideas for better multi-manager portfolio construction, the implications of climate change on investors and sovereign wealth funds.

Tony Cole, head of Mercer’s investment consulting business for Asia Pacific and an Australia 2020 Summit delegate, said the Asia Pacific Investment Forum was designed as a premium investment conference to provide new insights into the most pressing issues facing investors today.

“For example, much attention has been centred on the consequences for capital markets of an unwinding of excessive leverage triggered by the sub-prime crisis. What started as a US housing cycle bust has cascaded into a domestic recession and serious disruption of global financial markets. The rest of the world may have decoupled from the US sufficiently to avoid slipping into recession as a result of falling US demand but can it withstand the impact of dysfunctional credit markets?

“While the current global economic climate may be unsettling Mercer believes that it does create many opportunities for investment managers to add value, and so the conference will have a strong focus on innovative, forward looking strategies for growth. The majority of the sessions will be presented by our global and local business leaders.”

Presentations will include:

How hot is global warming? The practical implications for investors by Tim Gardener, global business leader of Mercer’s investment consulting business
New opportunities in Asian infrastructure by Dragana Timotijevic, Global Head of alternatives research at Mercer

Commodities: is it too late to jump on the bandwagon? by Andrew Kirton, business leader of Mercer’s investment consulting business in Europe

Mercer will also release exclusively to conference attendees a new paper on the Chinese monetary policy “A fistful of Yuan: the good, the bad and the ugly” by Harry Liem, a Mercer consultant and author of the book 2020 Vision, Investment Wisdom for Tomorrow.

The event will be held on 1 and 2 May at Central Pier, Docklands, Melbourne. For further information or to register please visit www.mercer.com.au/apif08 or contact Peita Laufer on 02 8864 6443.

Media contacts:

Keynote speakers Tim Gardener and Andrew Kirton will be available for interview upon arrival in Australia on April 30, if you would like to arrange an interview or get further detail on the presentations please contact Anita Agosta on +61 408 425 329.