Fixing Finance

I’ll be at The Economist’s Buttonwood Gathering next month, covering the event for Seeking Alpha. “Fixing Finance” is the conference slogan. Details:

In the 18th century, traders and speculators gathered under a buttonwood tree on Wall Street to conduct their business. Things have changed since those humble days. The global financial system has been a vast engine of economic growth, but today’s financial crisis and subsequent economic downturn has left the system in a complete shambles. It is time for a new kind of consensus in the financial community.

The Buttonwood Gathering draws on the popular weekly financial column and blog in The Economist.  Bringing together global regulators and bankers to discuss and debate new ideas and develop a new set of guidelines moving forward, the event will go beyond typical financial industry events by seeking to bridge financial issues with macroeconomic and geopolitical issues.

Speakers include Elizabeth Warren, Larry Summers, Sheila Bair, Stephen Roach, Robert Shiller, George Soros, and Tim Geithner. Clearly, there will be no shortage of things to write about. Thanks to SA for the press pass. The dinner and cocktail reception should be fun. It’s at the NYSE, which I’ve never seen in person. I’m looking forward to hearing from Elizabeth Warren and Stephen Roach among others.

The Economist has provided great coverage of this crisis. Philip Coggan’s Buttonwood column has been one of my favorite weekly reads. The magazine’s editors will be moderating most sessions.