Luncheon Presentation & Discussion by Paul Sheard, Chief Global Economist & Head of Global Economics and Research, Standard & Poor's Rating Services
Registration at 12.30pm
Luncheon at 12.45pm
Close at 2pm

Growth in the US looks set to continue at a smart pace and pave the way for the Federal Reserve to begin a historic process of “policy normalization” by about mid-year. How will the Fed manage this tricky process and what implications will it have domestically and internationally? The European Central Bank belatedly is launching a QE (quantitative easing) program, but will it work? Meanwhile the Greek crisis is bubbling to the surface again. What is holding back growth in the Eurozone and what needs to be done? Growth looks set to resume in Japan after a self-inflicted recession. What is the prognosis for Japan to exit deflation once and for all? What is the scorecard on “Abenomics” as the program enters its third year? China has lowered its growth target again. Can it manage to rebalance and reform at the same time? Is the slump in the oil price good news for the global economy and where do oil prices go from here? Paul Sheard, Chief Global Economist, Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services will discuss these and other issues confronting the global economy.  

Paul Sheard is Chief Global Economist and Head of Global Economics and Research for Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services where he leads a team of over 50 economists, researchers and quantitative analysts. He is also a member of Standard & Poor’s Executive Committee. Previously, Mr Sheard was Global Chief Economist and Head of Economic Research at Nomura Securities. He has held faculty positions at Osaka University, Australian National University, and visiting positions at Stanford University and the Bank of Japan. Mr Sheard is the author of “The Crisis of Main Bank Capitalism” and was a member of the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on the International Monetary System. Mr Sheard graduated from Monash University and received his master’s degree and Ph.D. from Australian National University.