A second straight quarter of earnings growth likely took place in Q4 2023, helping to set the stage for corporate optimism this year.[1] By no means is the macro backdrop an all-clear, though. US real GDP growth is expected to drop over the first half of 2024 compared to the sharply better-than-expected expansion pace seen in Q3 and Q4 last year.[2] Still, with the prospect of lower short-term interest rates ahead, a consumer that continues to defy expectations, and corporate balance sheets that remain in generally healthy shape, the tone at many first-quarter conferences should be upbeat.
Conference Season Is Off to a Busy Start
We have already heard from executives at events such as the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference, Consumer Electronics Show (CES), and Goldman Sachs Energy, CleanTech & Utilities Conference. There has even been a small bout of M&A activity across sectors, including Health Care and Energy, to get 2024 started on a bullish footing.[3] Looking ahead, a slate of notable events may shed light on other sectors along with broad outlooks regarding how companies plan to deploy capital.
Hope Springs Eternal at Winter Meetings
Financial conditions have eased.[4] Corporate borrowing costs are lower.[5] A soft economic landing appears to be a growing consensus among economists. These factors, along with an employment situation that continues to hang in there, could support more corporate dealmaking. As the earnings season onslaught continues over the next few weeks, be sure to keep this conference calendar at close reach. Here are some topics and questions front and center among investors and global portfolio managers that may be addressed at Q1 events:
- Is a wave of M&A indeed underway amid more clarity on Fed policy and lower borrowing costs today?
- On the same note, are Wall Street banks expecting a turn higher in debt financing activity?
- Bankers are also likely champing at the bit to begin underwriting high volumes again. Will dealmaking trends turn more favorable soon?
- In the Health Care sector, do pharma executives see a proliferation of weight loss drugs beyond the big three (Ozempic, Zepbound, and Wegovy)? And will smaller biotechs produce new wonder drugs?
- Energy consolidation has been a major theme in the oil patch – will new merger agreements get struck this quarter?
- And what about the consumer? Following a good, but not great, holiday season for retailers, are Consumer Discretionary and Consumer Staples companies anticipating slower sales in 2024?
- Are any good movies on the docket? It was a better year for the box office in 2023 despite plenty of Hollywood drama over recent months.
- Finally, what industries might lead the next wave of IPOs? Will there even be a recovery in young, growing companies testing the public waters any time soon?
All this and more in the weeks ahead. Conferences, summits, seminars, and other gatherings of leaders across the corporate world are critical for investors to follow. Here are some of the major conferences sourced by Wall Street Horizon that investors and traders should keep on their Q1 calendars.
Information Technology & Communication Services
February 14: Wolfe Research Semiconductor Conference
February 26: Gartner CFO & Finance Executive Conference
February 27: Wolfe Research March Madness Software Conference
February 29: Susquehanna 13th Annual Technology Conference
March 5: Morgan Stanley Technology, Media, and Telecom (TMT) Conference
March 8: SXSW Conference & Festivals
March 11: Deutsche Bank 32nd Annual Media, Internet & Telecom Conference
March 12: UBS Tech Media & Internet Conference
March 12: Citi TMT Conference
Health Care
January 28: Piper Sandler Biopharma Mogul Summit
February 7: Guggenheim Healthcare Talks 6th Annual Biotechnology Conference
February 13: Oppenheimer 34th Annual Healthcare Life Sciences Conference
February 26: Morgan Stanley European Medtech & Life Sciences Conference
February 27: UBS European Healthcare Conference 2023
February 28: Citi Healthcare Services, Medtech, Tools & HCIT Conference
March 4: TD Cowen 44th Annual Healthcare Conference
March 12: Oppenheimer 34th Annual Healthcare Conference
March 12: Barclays Global Healthcare Conference
March 20: BMO BioPharma Spotlight Series: Obesity Day
Consumer Discretionary & Consumer Staples
January 14: National Retail Federation (NRF) Retail Big Show
January 22: Jefferies Winter Consumer Summit
March 11: Barclays Leisure and Transport Conference
March 13: UBS Annual Global Consumer and Retail Conference
March 13: BNP Paribas Consumer Ingredients Conference
Financials & Real Estate
January 16: Citi European Insurance Conference
February 15: BMO Auto Finance Forum
February 20: Bank of America US Financials Conference
February 22: RBC Debt Capital Markets Conference
February 26: JP Morgan Global High Yield & Leveraged Finance Conference
February 28: Wolfe Research Real Estate Conference
February 29: Morgan Stanley Titans of Capital Landmark MENA Event
March 4: Citi Global Real Estate Property CEO Conference
Industrials
January 17: Barclays Launchpad Investing in Space Virtual Conference
January 30: BMO Industrial Private Company Conference
February 13: TD Cowen 45th Annual Aerospace & Defense Conference
February 20: Citi Global Industrial Tech and Mobility Conference
February 21: Barclays Industrial Select Conference
February 29: Baird Vehicle Technology & Mobility Conference
March 11: Bank of America Business Service, Leisure and Transport Conference
March 13: JP Morgan Industrials Conference 2024
March 19: Bank of America Global Industrials Conference
Energy & Utilities
February 1: BMO 21st Annual Infrastructure & Utilities Conference
March 5: Bank of America Power, Utilities & Clean Energy Conference
March 18: CERA Week
March 19: Piper Sandler 24th Annual Energy Conference
March 26: Wells Fargo 2nd Annual Clean Energy Symposium
March 26: Societe Generale European ESG Conference
Materials
January 23: TD Cowen Global Mining Conference
January 23: TD Securities 15th Annual Global Mining Conference
February 8: Morgan Stanley Chemicals, Agriculture, and Packaging Corporate Access Days
February 25: BMO 32nd Global Metals, Mining & Critical Minerals Conference
February 28: Bank of America Global Agriculture and Materials Conference
Regional
January 25: J. P. Morgan 18th Thailand Conference
January 29: UBS Latin America Investment Conference LAIC
February 26: JP Morgan Global EM Conference
March 4: Goldman Sachs Latin America Conference
March 12: JP Morgan Pan-European Small/Mid-Cap CEO Conference
March 19: Jefferies 5th Asia Forum
Investor Specific & Multi-Sector
January 15: World Economic Forum (WEF) at Davos
February 26: JP Morgan Global Emerging Markets Corporate Conference
March 3: Raymond James & Associates 45th Annual Institutional Investors Conference
March 5: Nasdaq Investor Conference
March 13: Sidoti March Small Cap Conference
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Originally Posted January 18, 2024 – Q1 2024 Investor Conference & Events Highlights
1 FactSet, John Butters, January 5, 2024, https://advantage.factset.com
2 Economic Forecast for the US Economy, The Conference Board, January 17, 2024, https://www.conference-board.org
3 Chesapeake to become top US natural gas producer with $7.4 billion deal for Southwestern, Reuters, Arunima Kumar, Arathy Somasekhar, January 11, 2024, https://www.reuters.com
4 Looser financial conditions boost economic growth in December and add hope to 2024 US outlook, S&P Global, Chris Williamson, January 5, 2024, https://www.spglobal.com
5 Economic Research FRED, ICE BofA US Corporate Index Effective Yield, January 16, 2024, https://fred.stlouisfed.org
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