2011 was a year unusually packed with market surprises. Cultural revolutions, earthquakes and tsunamis, ratings downgrades of major economies and extraordinary political events dominated macro sentiment and the investment landscape. Volatility across asset classes was subsequently at the highest levels since the 2008-9 financial crisis, with the normally quietly trending U.S. 10-year Treasury yield seeing a 12-month trading range of more than 200bps.

As 2012 begins, investors seem to have more questions than answers. We have heard many of those questions, and in this webcast—as well as research pieces throughout the year ahead—try to address those asked most frequently:

• With so many developed-market countries slowing, where should I source growth for my portfolio? How do I get my 8% return? Is it possible?
• A corollary to slow growth appears to be low government bond yields for the foreseeable future. What’s the best way to get more yield?
• Europe turned out to be the dominant market driver in 2011. What will 2012 bring? Do we need to think about an end to the euro and how do I position for such risks?
• Both in the U.S. and U.K., pension plans are facing extreme challenges in meeting liabilities. Where do we go from here? Is there a right way to deal with funding gaps?
• How reliable are sovereign credit ratings, and how should credit ratings figure in investment policy?

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The recent resurgence of volatility, the profound economic issues still plaguing Europe and a continued lack of recovery in the U.S. has created a number of challenges for those managing institutional portfolios. Join J.P. Morgan Asset Management's CEO of the United States Institutional business, Catherine Keating, as she leads a discussion with Rebecca Patterson, Chief Markets Strategist, and Anne Lester, Portfolio Manager, Global Multi-Asset Group, to tackle the top issues facing institutional investors today. Emerging markets, finding yield, inflation risk and retirement – just some of the topics these experts will examine.

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In this low interest rate environment, where can investors generate income? While this remains a challenge, certain market dynamics are creating opportunities to find yield across asset classes. We will discuss some of these opportunities in equities, fixed income and real assets:

• An anemic recovery and low default rates may provide potentially attractive opportunities in high yield debt and leveraged loans
• Strong corporate balance sheets are creating equity income opportunities
• The current recovery in property values, fundamentals, and cash flow generates attractive yields in real assets

Recent months have seen politics, especially in the U.S. and Europe, increasingly dominate financial markets. Looking ahead to 2012, we see the potential for this trend not only to continue, but even accelerate. Elections are always part of the macro landscape, but so many key elections coming at such a time of global economic fragility makes understanding the different races, and how they might impact portfolios, directly and indirectly, critical.

In this webcast we will explore:
 

• the major elections around the world in the year ahead and basic issues around each;
• market-sensitive risks tied to elections, both locally and looking across borders; and
• how elections in the year ahead, in aggregate, may influence markets and investment decisions

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