As we approach mid-year 2011, the global economy has been slowly gaining strength, but excess liquidity in global markets, Japan’s earthquake, and unrest in the Mideast have taken a toll on investor confidence. Here in the U.S., the stock market has continued to show strength, and the bond market, particularly for high yield, remains strong. However, volatility may be the watchword for the balance of the year as a daunting US deficit, a weakening US dollar, continuing high unemployment, the possibility of the U.S. losing its top credit rating, and the double threat of rising inflation and interest rates loom on the horizon.

The first event in the 2011 Standard & Poor’s Leadership Series took place in New York on February 24th. This initial forum focused on the fixed income markets, examined the role of the portfolio manager, and outlook for the markets in 2011-2012 . The other forums in the series will focus on credit risk and the global markets.

Chief Investment Officers, Portfolio Managers, Market and Credit Strategist, Heads of Research, Senior Research Analysts and Risk Managers at investment management firms, hedge funds, insurance companies, banks, non bank financial companies, and retirement funds are especially welcome to the forum events to be presented from February through December of 2011.

Standard & Poor’s Investor Leadership Series gives portfolio managers, research analysts, strategists, credit risk managers and other decision makers the opportunity to learn from industry leaders who together represent many decades of experience in all aspects of equity and fixed income investing and research, credit portfolio management, mathematical and statistical modeling, data management, credit modeling and management, and portfolio optimization.