What a difference a year can make! Despite a very difficult 12 months the mood at FundForum Middle East 2009 was positive, buzzy and looking ahead to a bright, albeit changed, future. Here are some of the key themes which emerged during 4 days of in-depth and cutting edge presentations and panel discussions:
Day 1: Monday morning set the scene with Simon Williams, Chief Economist at HSBC giving an excellent overview of the relative resilisnce of the Gulf in 2009, the areas where the region's vulnerabilities have been exposed and presented a compelling long-term story. This seamlessly led to a very interesting discussion with leading Middle Eastern economic experts about the Saudi Arabian market, the strength of the GCC banks post crisis, the region's reliance on oil and how markets can be divided between oil "haves" and "have-nots".
Day 2: The FundForum Middle East CEO day. The day got off to an excellent start with 3 short presentations from some of the region's leading Fund Selectors and Wealth Managers addressing the Global Crisis of Trust in Investor Confidence and what the industry should be doing to reassure their clients. The day was punctuated by polling questions, allowing the audience to get involved and submit their opinion on themes ranging from The Future For Alternatives, Investment Strategies For The New Environment, The Battle For A Middle Eastern Financial Centre and The Value Of A Retail Business In The MENA Region.
Day 3: The theme of this day was Investment and Asset Allocation. Gary Dugan, the new CIO for Emirates NDB Private Bank gave a highly informative presentation focussing on the structural challenges for the new environment, the future for different asset classes, the benefits for diversification and new areas for investing. This set the scene for the rest of the day which saw leading CIOs and Wealth Managers debate what strategies and themes will wield the best returns in a post-crisis world
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