Our post Federal Budget event will be on the topic of "An update on recent economic and financial developments" by Rory Robertson from Macquarie Bank.
Date: Thursday, 22 May 2008
Venue: Canberra Club, West Row, Civic
Cost: Members are free, Non-members $22.00 - a tax invoice will be issued.
Time: 5:30pm - 7:30pm
Usual format:
5.30pm - drinks & nibbles
6.00pm - Seminar with Q & A
7.00pm - drinks & nibbles
7.30pm - close
Rsvp (essential) to the Canberra Branch Secretariat to ensure we have enough seats and food for all. Contact email and phone number is below.
SPEAKER:
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DAVID ROBERTSON - CV (known as Rory)
Macquarie Bank, INTEREST-RATE STRATEGIST. Responsible for analysing and
forecasting Australian and US economies, RBA and Fed policy, and general
direction of global interest rates and other markets; maintaining and
developing Macquarie's customer base, including via regular macroeconomic
roadshows.
Previous Positions: Macquarie USA, US STRATEGIST, based in New York City, Nov 1999-Sep 2003
Bankers Trust Australia, STRATEGIST, Debt Market Desk, Mar 1996-Oct 1999
Bankers Trust Australia, SENIOR ECONOMIST, Feb 1994-Mar 1996
Reserve Bank of Australia, ECONOMIST, Jan 1988-Jan 1994 (and Cadet in 1985-86)
James Cook University, TUTOR, 1987 (also tutored at UNSW & AGSM in early-1990s)
(Summary: Twenty years in the business of watching economies and markets. First six years at RBA in Sydney straight out of university, then six years at BT Australia in Sydney and, after BT's parent fell over, nearly a decade at Macquarie Bank, the first four years based in New York.)
Background:
Over the past decade and a half as a market forecaster, Rory has built a
strong reputation with a wide range of investors and observers. He's seen
as an authoritative RBA and Fed watcher whose understanding of policy
frameworks and economic fundamentals regularly generates useful insights on
interest rates, equity prices and exchange rates.
During his four-year secondment in New York over the early-2000s, Rory
correctly forecast that the US boom of the 1990s would end in bust, with
sharp falls in US interest rates, US equity prices, and the US$. In 2008,
we're watching a bit of a re-run.
In quieter times, Rory wrote substantial pieces on housing affordability
and Federal-State financial arrangements, making high-profle contributions
to the public debate on these topics in recent years.
Education:
Master of Economics degree, AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, 1991
First Class Honours degree in Economics, JAMES COOK UNIVERSITY, 1983-86
Other:
Rory was born in Alice Springs (NT) on 4 March 1966, and has lived in all
mainland States and Territories except WA. Dual Australian and UK citizenship,
the latter via a Scottish Dad. A young Rory excelled at cricket, rugby league
and union, tennis and ornithology. In the early-1990s, opened the batting with
former RBA Governor Bernie Fraser in the annual RBA versus Treasury cricket
matches.
Over past decade and a half, has played golf mostly off a 6-7 handicap at NSW
Golf Club. Other outdoor interests include doing enough jogging and walking to
avoid obesity; camping, hunting feral pigs and fishing (in 2004 in NW Q'ld he
caught personal-best 92cm barramundi); with a partner, owns a cattle property
("Strathburn") on Cape York; when stuck in city, reads history and newspapers
(six per day!), watches sport and movies.
Married beautiful American (Gwen) in 2003, still Australianising her. First
son (Zander) arrived on St Patrick's Day (17 March) 2005, second son (Lucas)
arrived January 2007. Happy days.
Secretariat
Economic Society of Australia - Canberra Branch Inc.
PO Box 11
DEAKIN WEST ACT 2600
Ph: 02 6260 3266
Fax: 02 6282 7191
Website: www.ecosoc.org.au