This session will look at the development of a vaccine for COVID-19 and what cooperation is needed to fight the virus. More broadly it will examine the way in which bio-medical engineering and the healthcare sector is meeting the needs of changing demographics and creating a better future for the world’s citizens.

The past four years has seen a bifurcation in society in the US which has impacted stability and trust. What are the pertinent issues for investors in navigating a fundamentally changed US, what does it mean for international trade, the future of globalisation and the growth of the economy? What is the fallout of the US election, the impact on markets and the long-term effects of geopolitical risk?

Democracy expert, Tom Carothers, takes us on a journey highlighting the disruption to democracy around the world over the past decade. Using the United States as a case study he looks at the cultural and economic drivers of democracy, and importantly its prospects for survival.

Nathan Sheets, the former undersecretary of the U.S. Treasury for international affairs representing the U.S. government on international economic policy, and now chief economist at PGIM Fixed Income will outline the expected policy responses from a Biden government and what that means for global interest rates, currencies and sovereign debt and credit markets. The prospect of global inflation is a conversation around all investment committee meetings this year. This session will also look at what deep structural factors are driving inflation, or disinflation, and what that means for emerging and developed markets heading into 2021.

The COVID-19 pandemic-induced paradigm of zero interest rates and coordinated monetary and fiscal policy is the new macro-economic reality. Add to that the market conditions from the US election and the ongoing pandemic, and investors head into 2021 with continued uncertainty. With this backdrop, diversification and resilience is more important than ever, but how can investors achieve that in a low interest rate environment?

This session will take a deep dive into the macro economic outlook for next year, as well as the medium term and long term; including a discussion of the capital market assumptions that go into that outlook, and the impact on individual asset classes. Importantly it will also discuss asset class correlations and whether investors can rely on their current risk management and portfolio construction tools going forward.

Just over a year since the he Business Roundtable re-defined the statement of purpose of a corporation, away from just shareholder primacy, the world faced a severe global crisis. This session looks at companies’ responsiveness to the COVID-19 pandemic and inequality issues and how corporations can better serve all stakeholders in the future.

There are many differences between the 2008 financial crisis and the 2020 COVID-19 induced economic crisis, not the least of which is how the policy makers have responded. In 2008 the bailout of the banks was the focus, and in 2020 the bailout of the consumer was the focus. So why have governments been focusing on the consumer, and what does that mean for investment opportunities? Is this a long-term thematic that investors should be navigating in their investment allocations?

Investors will have the chance to join private chat rooms with speakers and their peers to discuss the themes of the conference including the fallout of the US election and what their outlook is for 2021. Using special networking technology this dedicated session will allow interactivity among delegates to discuss key themes. The "rooms" or "tables" will be hosted by leading investors from around the world.