The one-day affair, aimed to educate its participants on the current state of global economies as well as regional trends, was held at the FSM gymnasium-theater at the College of Micronesia.
APAFS Executive Director Daniel Roland, CMA, said their group’s “mission is to continue building the knowledge of fiduciary institutions and finance professionals in Asia Pacific by regularly bringing worldwide experts to the region. Through these initiatives, we hope to further equip financial institutions on decision making skills. ”
Jason B. Miyashita, CRPS, AIF, APAFS instructor, began the series of talks by addressing the topic “Financial Crisis on a Global Scale.”
During his discussion, Miyashita shared portfolio strategies investors can apply in market uncertainty and difficult global economic conditions, such as focusing on fundamentals —diversification, quality and capital structure — considering global trends and seeking opportunities in “distressed markets.”
Various regional and local economic issues were discussed in the conference.
The vice president of ASC Trust Corp., Don Clark, tackled “The Effect of the Economic Crisis on Retirement Plans in the Region,” while Jim Staub, senior vice president of Atalanta Sosnoff Capital Management, and Jonathan Cangalosa, principal of Golden Asset Management, shared their insights on “Domestic Equity Markets Outlook.”
Other topics highlighted were “International Equity Markets Outlook” by Mark J. Heath, CFA, senior vice president, Metropolitan West Capital Management; and “Fixed Income Markets Outlook” by Bill Kalra, senior vice president, Payden & Rygel Asset Management.
Around 75 participants from fiduciary institutions and the investment industry took part in the Pohnpei country conference.
The next country conferences will be held in Yap and Palau.
The 2009 conference series will lead up to the annual Pacific region investment conference which will be held in Manila, the Philippines.
For more information on the conference series, go to www.apafs.org.
