CFA Institute, the global association of investment professionals, wrapped up its 73rd Annual Conference last week, which, for the first time, was hosted virtually due to COVID-19. The conference, historically held in person with more than 1,500 attendees, was “attended” by more than 12,000 registrants from around the globe. The forum, condensed to suit the virtual format and made available free of charge, still brought together noted investors, geopolitical experts, best-selling authors, coaches, psychologists, leading researchers, and successful practitioners.
“Our mission at CFA Institute is to promote the highest standards of ethics, education, and professional excellence in the global investment industry. Our annual conference is always a shining example of that work,” said Margaret Franklin, CFA, President, and CEO of CFA Institute. “I thoroughly enjoyed the incredible lineup of innovative thinkers that covered topics ranging from navigating the current economic and geopolitical realities to implementing mindfulness to stay effective during this time.”
This year’s conference focused heavily on strategies to navigate the evolving marketplace and fast-changing world in light of COVID-19. The most well-attended sessions included Howard Marks, CFA, co- chairman of Oaktree Capital Management who discussed the global macro outlook in uncertain times. Daniel Crosby, chief behavioral officer at Brinker Capital presentation focused on psychology and personal advice for living and working through a crisis, and Aswath Damodaran, Kerschner Family Chair Professor of Finance at the Stern School of Business at New York University, presented strategies for investing through the crisis. Following each session, attendees were polled and some of the main findings included:
- The global and macro market outlook in uncertain times
- More than 60% of attendees felt that things will change drastically with new national alliances and new trading partners
- Psychology and personal advice for living and working through the global crisis
- 88% of respondents said they thought they would try out mindfulness practices to calm the brains, relieve stress or be more effective at work.
- Strategies for investing through the crisis
- When asked which investing cliché seems most appropriate right now, 53% chose “Don’t fight the Fed.”
The recorded sessions of the 73rd Annual Conference can be found following this link.