Northern Finance Association Conference 2012

The Northern Finance Association (NFA) held its annual conference in 2012, providing a valuable forum for academics, practitioners, and policymakers in the field of finance to exchange ideas, present research, and network. The conference, typically held in Canada, rotates among major cities across the country, showcasing different regional perspectives on financial issues.

While specific details about the 2012 conference are limited in readily available online archives, the NFA conferences generally feature a diverse range of topics. Attendees likely discussed cutting-edge research in areas such as:

Asset Pricing: Presentations often explore new models for understanding and predicting asset returns, incorporating factors like volatility, liquidity, and investor sentiment. This would have included research on the performance of different investment strategies and the impact of macroeconomic factors.
Corporate Finance: This is a cornerstone of the NFA conference. Discussions could have covered topics like capital structure decisions, mergers and acquisitions, dividend policy, corporate governance, and the financing of innovation.
Market Microstructure: Research in this area examines the inner workings of financial markets, including order flow, trading mechanisms, and the impact of high-frequency trading.
Financial Econometrics: This focuses on the development and application of statistical methods to analyze financial data, allowing researchers to test hypotheses and make predictions.
Real Estate Finance: Considering Canada’s significant real estate market, sessions likely explored housing price dynamics, mortgage markets, and real estate investment trusts (REITs).
Risk Management: The importance of managing financial risk is always a relevant topic. The conference may have addressed issues related to market risk, credit risk, operational risk, and regulatory capital.

The NFA conference is known for its strong focus on empirical research, meaning presentations often involved the analysis of real-world financial data. This makes the conference particularly relevant for practitioners who are interested in applying academic insights to their daily work. The conference typically includes keynote speakers who are leading figures in the finance field, providing valuable insights and perspectives on the major challenges and opportunities facing the industry. A doctoral symposium is also often included, giving PhD students an opportunity to present their research and receive feedback from senior academics.

The 2012 conference likely facilitated important discussions surrounding the ongoing effects of the 2008 financial crisis and the evolving regulatory landscape. As the global economy continued its recovery, participants likely analyzed the implications of monetary policy, government debt levels, and the changing structure of the financial industry. The Canadian context is particularly relevant, as Canada’s financial system weathered the crisis relatively well. The conference likely provided a platform to discuss the factors that contributed to Canada’s stability and the lessons that could be learned for other countries.

In conclusion, the Northern Finance Association’s 2012 conference offered a significant opportunity for finance professionals and academics to connect, share knowledge, and contribute to the advancement of financial research and practice. While specific details are scarce, the general themes and topics discussed would have been highly relevant to the challenges and opportunities facing the finance industry at that time.