2009: THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY

Financial markets face an unprecedented set of challenges in 2009. So what should investors do? Buy, sell or hold? Step in now, wait and see? Invest, maintain or reposition? Repay, restructure or refinance?

These were the questions put to forums in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane in February and March at events presented by APP Corporation, Minter Ellison and Winchester Solutions. AFR BOSS editor, Narelle Hooper, faciliated conversations with respected economists who were each asked to put the Upside and Downside cases to facilitate a conversation about prospects for the year ahead.

In Sydney and Melbourne Professor Ian Harper, senior consultant with Access Economics argued the Upside case and Macquarie Group's Richard Gibbs argued for the downside. In Brisbane, the Downside case was put by professor Tim Brailsford, executive dean, the faculty of business, economics and law at the University of Queensland executive dean and the Upside by Michael Knox, director of strategy and chief economist ABN Amro Morgans.

Their presentations are available here:

The Upside:

Professor Ian Harper,
Senior Consultant,
Access Economics

Michael Knox
Director of Strategy &
Chief Economist,
ABN Amro Morgans

The Downside:

Richard Gibbs,
Global Head of Economics
Macquarie Securities

Professor Tim Brailsford
Executive Dean,
Faculty of Business, Economics and Law,
University of Queensland
* The views of Professor Brailsford were his own and not those of the University of Queensland