Webinars
Earning Investors' Trust: Virtual Panel Discussion
On December 8, 2020, CFA Society Greece & CFA Society Cyprus hosted an online panel discussion on "Earning Investors' Trust". The event attracted more than 70 members of of the Greek, Cypriot and UK investment communities. The panel was moderated by Violeta Spyropoulou, CFA, Vice President of CFA Society Greece and included panelists Gary Baker, CFA, Managing Director, EMEA Region at CFA Institute, Nikolaos Kontaroudis, Vice Chairman of the Hellenic Capital Market Commission and George Theocharides, PhD, Vice Chairman of Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission.
Informed by the fourth edition of the CFA Institute Investor Trust Study, the moderated panel discussion touched on the following topics:
- How information, innovation and technology can help build trust
- The CFA Institute Trust Equation (Credibility + Professionalism = Trust & Value) and the role of regulators
- The path forward to building greater trust in capital markets and the investment industry
- Interest for ESG Investing in Greece and Cyprus
- New sustainability report from CFA Institute
Investing in Innovation
Οn November 10, 2020 CFA Society Greece hosted a webinar, "Investing in Innovation", presented by Matt Moberg, SVP & Portfolio Manager of Franklin Equity Group at Franklin Templeton. During this brief webinar, Matt led a discussion on driving wealth creation through innovation investing, the importance of active management in innovation-focused investing, and where he see opportunities in innovation today. The webinar drew great interest from our attendees who actively participated in the Q&A session.
Factors Influencing Private Investors' Investment Profile
CFA Society Greece hosted its first open event for the general public on 26 October, 2020, a webinar on "Factors Influencing Private Investors' Investment Profile", with guest speaker, Eleutheria Achladianaki, Managing Director of The Association of Members of the Athens Exchanges. The purpose of the webinar was to further enhance the investment literacy of the general public, thus contributing to the integrity of the capital markets and putting private investors in a position to ensure they are adequately protected when investing. The webinar focused on basic investment principles and the information that individual investors should receive before purchasing investment products. More than 70 private investors working in the health, tourism, insurance and other industries joined the webinar. Over 20 students from local universities also attended the event.
The Outlook for Capital Markets over the Next 6-12 Months
On 15 October, 2020 we hosted a webinar with MRB Partners founding partner and global strategist, Peter Perkins. During the brief webinar, Peter discussed the outlook for capital markets over the next 6-12 months and MRB's global multi-asset allocation recommendations. He also examined:
- Prospects for global equities and the corporate earnings cycle, as well as a potential rotation out of the U.S. into other markets
- How to protect portfolios against equity risk given the absence of return potential in government bonds or cash
- The case for gold in light of the monetary and fiscal backdrop
- Risks for capital markets associated with the upcoming U.S. election
Python: Revolutionizing the Finance Industry
On Tuesday, 15 September, 2020 at 19:00 hosted our first webinar of the new season on "Python: Revolutionizing the Finance Industry" with Nick Christodoulopoulos, Head of Derivatives Market Making at Piraeus Securities.
Over the past decades, spreadsheets have been the primary tool in Finance. However, Python, the incredibly popular and easy-to-learn programming language, is challenging the status quo and is becoming the most in-demand skill in the industry. During the webinar, Nick Christodoulopoulos explained why Python is a game changer for Finance professionals. He outlined the benefits of learning Python, discussed why it is much more than an "Excel on steroids" and demonstrated practical examples of its use.
Financial Modeling Best Practices
We hosted a webinar on “Financial Modeling Best Practices” with Ian Schnoor, CFA, AFM, Executive Director of the Financial Modeling Institute (FMI), in cooperation with the FMI on 9 July, 2020. During this 90-minute interactive webinar, Ian Schnoor presented and discussed some critical tools and skills required to build a best-in-class financial model that inspires confidence and leads to optimal decision making. Specific topics included:
- The Discipline of Financial Modeling
- Top 10 Modeling Best Practices
- Key Modeling Tips
- Skills to check a Financial Model
- Great Modeling Technical Skills
EU Regulation in the Post-Pandemic Period
During this brief webinar, guest speaker Josina Kamerling, Head of Regulatory Outreach for the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region for CFA Institute, provided an in-depth analysis on the European strategy on the financial sector in light of the Covid-19 crisis. She also discussed the current and future EU measures in the financial sector as well as the renewed focus on Capital Markets Union, with the aim of restarting the European economy and developing capital markets in the EU. The presentation was followed by an interactive Q&A session.
The Pandemic Revolution: Navigating Macro and Markets in the Post Covid World
On June 11, 2020, CFA Society Greece hosted a webinar on "The Pandemic Revolution: Navigating Macro and Markets in the Post Covid World" with Alberto Gallo, CFA, Fund Manager at Algebris Investments. During this brief webinar, Alberto Gallo discussed some of the changes that have been triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic, with a focus on macro factors and the global credit markets, including the role that public debt will play in shaping the post Covid world. A Q&A session followed, with questions submitted by the audience via Zoom's chat feature.
Exploring 2020 GIPS Standards: Application to Asset Owners and Pooled Funds
On May 14, 2020 we hosted our first virtual GIPS event, "Exploring 2020 GIPS Standards, Application to Asset Owners and Pooled Funds" with guest speaker, Iain McAra, Director of Global Industry Standards at CFA Institute. The webinar was attended by CFA Society Greece ,embers, as well as members of the Hellenic Fund and Asset Management Association. The webinar focused on two areas that were impacted by the development of the 2020 GIPS standards:
i) Application of the GIPS standards to Asset Owners and
ii) Approach to calculation and presentation of limited distribution and broadly distributed pooled funds in the GIPS standards.
An overview of both of these topics and their treatment in the GIPS standards to ensure that the minimum set of information that is full, fair, consistent and comparable is delivered to the prospective investor was covered during the webinar.
Foreign Exchange in Practice
As we try to innovate the ways in which deliver member value, on April 28, 2020 we hosted our first webinar on "Foreign Exchange in Practice" with Stavros Daliakopoulos, CFA, Head of FX & Derivatives Trading at Eurobank. In this short webinar, Stavros offered some insights into the foreign exchange (FX) market from a trader's perspective. Starting with the FX spot market, he showed the FX forward market and how it relates to the FX options market. During the webinar the actual tools used for trading and pricing were employed and the management of a foreign exchange options book was illustrated. Members who attended the webinar provided positive feedback and expressed an interest in future webinars hosted by CFA Society Greece.