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(February 12, 2008) Morningstar Canada has announced the roster of speakers for the sixth annual Morningstar Investment Conference, to be held in Toronto June 11.

The conference will include a presentation on investor behaviour by Terrance Odean, professor of banking and finance at University of California, Berkeley.

Also speaking at the conference are three top-producing financial advisors: John Horwood of Richardson Partners, Jim Rogers of Rogers Group Financial and Carl Spiess of ScotiaMcLeod.

This year’s conference will focus on managing investor expectations and selecting market-resilient investments.

“The theme of this year’s conference is particularly timely, given the severe losses sustained by stock markets around the world in recent weeks,” said Scott Mackenzie, president and CEO of Morningstar Canada. “Our goal is to provide conference attendees with sound, practical advice on how to build better risk-adjusted portfolios. We’ll also address in our sessions and panel discussions the emotional and behavioural aspects of investing, which can be as volatile as the financial markets themselves.”

The agenda also includes sessions on socially responsible investing and a panel of hedge fund managers.

Discount registration rates are available until April 23. Full conference information is available at www.morningstar.ca/conference.

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Caisse supports exchange merger

(February 12, 2008) The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec has offered support for the proposed merger of the TSX and Montreal Exchange, but the massive pension fund still has a few questions concerning the deal.

The Caisse is calling on Quebec’s regulator, l’Autorité des marchés financiers, to obtain guarantees regarding the continuity of operations in Montreal and the governance structure of the exchange to be created by the merger.

If the Caisse gets its way, derivatives and related products will continue to be traded in Montreal, with all future offerings listed exclusively in Montreal. The Caisse also wants seats at the boardroom table reserved for Quebec residents, with directors required to meet minimum criteria on expertise and experience.

(02/12/08)