Financial Experts at Quinnipiac University's G.A.M.E. II Forum Cautiously Optimistic About the Economy

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Mar 29, 2012, 05:28 ET

NEW YORK, March 29, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Financial experts at Quinnipiac University's second annual Global Asset Management Education Forum said they are cautiously optimistic that the U.S. is beginning to slowly climb out of what has been called the "Great Recession," but public perception and consumer confidence will likely play a role in the success of this economic turnaround.

"What's been remarkable…what amazes me is the severity of the pessimism," said Liz Ann Sonders, senior vice president and chief investment strategist at Charles Schwab & Co. Although 2011 was stagnant, now employment is rising and the housing market contributed in double digits to the GDP.

"Although not in robust territory, we seem to be accelerating up," she said. "I'm happy with that."

Sonders was one of four financial leaders discussing the economy in the opening panel of the three-day G.A.M.E. II Forum held at the Sheraton New York Hotel and Tower. The event is co-sponsored by NASDAQ OMX.

Joining Sonders on the economy panel was Larry Adam, managing director and chief investment strategist at Deutsche Bank Private Wealth Management; Steve Liesman, senior economics reporter for CNBC; and Lawrence Yun, chief economist and senior vice president of research at the National Association of REALTORS®. They dove into some of the factors influencing the economic recovery, from China's slowing economy to the gas prices and political relations with oil-producing Iran.

Participants included more than 1,000 students from 115 universities—Bentley University, Villanova, University of Hawaii and the University of Toronto, among others—and 122 speakers from 93 companies. The group represented 38 countries from Colombia and Croatia to Uganda and Vietnam.

Forty Quinnipiac students helped coordinate and staff the event. David Sauer, the founder and chair of the forum, is already working on the third annual Quinnipiac G.A.M.E. Forum, which will be held April 4-6, 2013, in New York City.

This year, the first day of the conference had panel discussions on the state of asset management, the stock market and corporate governance.

Barry Chung, a finance major from Temple University, was impressed by the caliber of speakers at the conference. "This is an opportunity for me to get insight and access to some of the biggest financial leaders," he said.

SOURCE Quinnipiac University