Keynote Interview

FINANCING NET ZERO WHEN INFLATION AND GEOPOLITICS CLASH

Mark Carney

United Nations

Special Envoy on Climate Action and Finance

The war in Ukraine has triggered an unprecedented inflation outbreak across the global economy with record food and energy price inflation, sending a cost of living crisis shockwave across the world. Despite a commitment to bring inflation back in line with aggressive rates hikes, central banks may need to do more to tame both a tight labour market and a resilient consumer demand, inherited from the accommodative fiscal policies of the Covid19 pandemic. In a complex and clashing landscape of geopolitics, monetary and fiscal policies, the world is struggling to keep greenhouse gas emissions on a path consistent with the Paris agreement. After the renewed commitments made at COP26, can financial institutions, corporations, investors, consumers, governments, and central banks reconcile the substantial investments required to finance the energy transition? To shed some light on these unprecedented challenges, we are delighted to be joined by Mark Carney, the United Nations Special Envoy for Climate Action and Finance. He is a world-renowned economist, former governor of the Bank of England and the Bank of Canada, and more recently the advisor for COP26 to the British Prime minister.

Keynote Interview

Unorthodox Monetary Policy: Agony and Ecstasy

Lord Mervyn King

Bank of England

Former Governor

Given Lord King’s distinguished career as a central banker, becoming the Bank of England’s Chief Economist in 1991, then Deputy Governor in 1998, and in 2003 Governor of the Bank of England, a post he held until 2013, who better to discuss the experience of the unprecedented adoption of non-standard monetary policy tools after the Great Financial Crisis. Which of the tools were successful, which less so? How difficult will it be to phase them out? And what are the longer-term implications?

Keynote Presentation

The Inflation Outlook (Still!) Holds The Key To Our Investment Future

Albert Edwards

Societe Generale

Global Strategy

Grant Williams

Things That Make You Go Hmmm

Author and Publisher

The last year has been a story of the explosive surge in inflation catching out Central Banks who are now scrambling to catch up. Many think their rediscovered inflation fighting zeal will ultimately end in a recession or a financial market meltdown or both. Albert discusses with guest Grant Williams where we go from here.

Keynote Interview

The New World Order: Geopolitical Insights and Implications for Markets

Susan Thornton

U.S Department of Eurasia and East Asia

Former US Diplomat and former acting Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs

It is hard not to have the impression these days that we are witnessing a tectonic shift in the World Order since the end of the cold war. US-China tensions have been rising precariously since the Trump era and Russia-Ukraine war has just engendered another geopolitical shock wave globally. The trajectories and repercussions of these events could potentially shake the global economic and financial system to its core. Is the world irrecoverably moving in the direction of decoupling, a new cold war or even a WWIII? What should investors watch out for on the geopolitical front from here?