2022 is off to a shaky start. The stock and bond markets have endured significant losses and heightened volatility. Uncertainty abounds with inflation risk running high, an inverted yield curve, and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Inflation, inversion, and a military conflict obviously do not paint the most bullish backdrop for a busy second-quarter conference season.
“It’s So Great to See Your Smiling Faces!”
The positive news is that Wall Street Horizon data show an encouraging 94% of conferences are expected to be in-person this quarter. That is up from 79% in Q1 2022 when the Omicron variant was seen as among the biggest risks to traders. How quickly the market environment changes!
Conferences Across Sectors and From Around the World
Our corporate event data also reveal a total of 266 conferences (which includes investor forums, seminars, business summits, and trade shows). Meetings impact all 11 sectors and include companies from dozens of industries. Global investors must mark these important events on their calendars as events are held around the globe. Reading corporate body language is a critical part of analyzing information shared by executives at corporate conferences.
Questions to Ponder
What are traders thinking about heading into Q2? There are new concerns and ongoing uncertainties:
- Consumer confidence is the worst in more than a decade, yet people are still spending. Will consumption continue to run strong in the face of high gas prices and a dearth of stimulus?
- Geopolitical risks are higher than most traders can recall. Are companies going to take a defensive stance as the year progresses?
- Supply chain issues have not been resolved. The Russia-Ukraine conflict only makes things worse. What are firms doing to combat these challenges?
- Central banks around the world are hiking interest rates in the face of rapid inflation and slowing growth. Recession risks are on the table. Will ample cash on the balance sheets of multinational businesses be used to invest in capex? Return to shareholders? Bolster balance sheets?
- How will energy-intensive enterprises deal with soaring input costs?
- What’s new with crypto? The space reached peak euphoria a year ago. Have there been important developments since then?
Opportunities Amid Uncertainties
There’s a lot to unpack this quarter with headline risks and market-wide concerns at the forefront. By digging into niche conferences and hearing what individual companies are doing, traders can gain an edge in a world focused on macro topics. There are likely plenty of opportunities and pockets of growth that can be spotted after a rocky last several months.
Let’s dive in. Here are the conferences catching our eye this quarter:
Information Technology & Communication Services
May 19: Jefferies Metaverse & NFT Summit (virtual)
May 23: Goldman Sachs Asia Pacific (APAC) TechNet Conference 2022 (virtual)
May 23-25: JP Morgan Global Technology, Media & Communications Conference (Boston, MA)
June 1-2: Jefferies Software Conference 2022 (San Francisco, CA)
June 7: Bank of America Securities Global Technology Conference 2022 (location TBD)
June 14: Gartner Security & Risk Management Summit North America 2022 (location TBD)
Health Care
April 12-13: Wells Fargo Biotech Forum 2022 (Palm Beach Gardens, FL)
May 1: Bank of America Securities Global Healthcare Conference 2022 (Las Vegas, NV)
May 10: Berenberg Diagnostics Conference 2022 (virtual)
Consumer Discretionary and Consumer Staples
May 18: Goldman Sachs Global Consumer Conference 2022 (London, UK)
June 8: Piper Sandler: The Year of the Restaurant 2022 (New York, NY)
June 14-16: Deutsche Bank Global Consumer Conference (Paris, France)
June 20-22: Jefferies Consumer Conference 2022 (Nantucket, MA)
Financials and Real Estate
April 5: Morgan Stanley Triple Net REIT Day 2022 (New York, NY)
May 9: MoneyShow Las Vegas 2022 (Las Vegas, NV)
May 11: Goldman Sachs Virtual 6th Annual Credit and Leveraged Finance Conference 2022 (virtual)
May 18-19: Wells Fargo Financial Services Investor Conference 2022 (Chicago, IL)
June 8-9: Piper Sandler Companies Global Exchange & Brokerage Conference 2022 (New York, NY)
June 9-10: Jefferies Equity-Linked Conference 2022 (London, UK)
Industrials
May 4-5: Wells Fargo Industrials Conference 2022 (New York, NY)
June 9: JP Morgan European Capital Goods CEO Conference 2022 (Surrey, UK)
June 21: Jefferies Airlines Summit 2022 (New York, NY)
June 21: Goldman Sachs Transport Conference (London, UK)
Energy and Utilities
April 5: Piper Sandler EV Charging Day 2022 (virtual)
May 9-12: Waste360/Stifel Investor Summit 2022 (Las Vegas, NV)
May 17-18: Wells Fargo Meetings – 2022 American Gas Association (Miami Beach, FL)
May 24-25: Jefferies Virtual Renewable Energy Conference: Key Debate Across the Value Chain 2022 (London, UK)
June 1-2: Wells Fargo Energy Conference 2022 (Dallas, TX)
June 7-8: Cowen Sustainability & Energy Transition Summit 2022 (virtual)
Materials
April 12-14: Gold Forum Europe – Virtual 2022
May 15-16: Metals Investor Forum (Vancouver, BC)
May 17-18: Bank of America Global Metals, Mining & Steel Virtual Conference 2022 (Miami, FL)
May 18-19: Citi London Chemicals Conference 2022 (London, UK)
Regional
May 3: Goldman Sachs 15th European Small and Mid-Cap Symposium 2022 (location TBD)
May 23-25: Berenberg Conference USA 2022 (Tarrytown, NY)
June 1-3: Bank of America Securities Emerging Markets Debt & Equity Conference 2022 (location TBD)
Investor Specific and Multi Sector
April 7: Credit Suisse The Investor Landscape: Hidden Gems Conference 2022 (New York, NY)
May 11-12: Société Générale ESG/SRI Conference 2022 (Paris, France)
May 11-12: Sidoti May Micro Cap Virtual Conference 2022 (virtual)
May 12: Goldman Sachs Industrials & Materials Conference 2022 (virtual)
May 12: Deutsche Bank ADR Investor Conference (virtual)
May 16-18: 34th annual Morningstar Investment Conference 2022 (Chicago, IL)
May 24-26: Barclays High Yield Bond & Syndicated Loan Conference 2022 (location TBD)
May 31-June 3: Inside ETFs 2022 (Hollywood, FL)
June 14: Nasdaq Investor Conference 2022 (location TBD)
This article was originally published on the Wall Street Horizons website.
Disclaimer: This blog post has been written by a third-party contributor and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of FactSet. The information contained in this blog post is not legal, tax, or investment advice. FactSet does not endorse or recommend any investments and assumes no liability for any consequence relating directly or indirectly to any action or inaction taken based on the information contained in this article.
