Morningstar Conference Highlights

It often feels as if the market is at an inflection point when Morningstar hosts its annual Investment Conference--but it feels especially so right now. Is the economy going to strengthen and continue to provide a tailwind for the market or, as recent data have suggested, will we see the opposite happen? Meanwhile, stock investors are faced with a market that looks roughly fairly valued overall, and bond investors continue to rightfully worry about the possibility of rising rates and inflation wreaking havoc with their fixed-income portfolios.

Clearly, there was no shortage of questions for the group of topnotch investment managers and experts who convened in Chicago June 8-10 for the 2011 Investment Conference. We heard from Morningstar Fixed-Income Manager of the Decade Bill Gross on the bond market and economy, and got insights from Domestic-Equity Manager of the Decade Bruce Berkowitz on Fairholme's FAIRX latest bets and recent underperformance.

If you couldn't make it to Chicago for the conference, let us bring it to you. Get all the views, picks, strategies, and outlooks from the 2011 event in the blogs, articles, and video reports featured here. And be sure to bookmark this page and return again over the next week, as even more reports will be posted.

Top Conference Highlights
Bond King Prefers Dividends Over Coupons
PIMCO's Gross says that among U.S. investments, blue chip dividend-paying stocks look attractive relative to Treasuries' anemic real yields.

Gross: Treasury Investors Have to Look for Other Choices (video)
There are countries that have relatively liquid bond markets and offer a more attractive real rate of interest compared to the United States, says the PIMCO manager.

Sequoia's Health-Care Picks (video)
Sequoia's David Poppe says the fund likes the tailwinds in health care but has tried to avoid the reimbursement risks.

Berkowitz: Financials Not Going Away
While the sector faces economic, regulatory, and balance sheet headwinds, the Fairholme manager says these concerns are more than offset by the stock prices on offer. Plus, Berkowitz comments on St. Joe and Cisco.

Feinberg: Quality Franchises Will Be Key for Stock Investors (video)
Owning high-quality companies will be integral to achieving growth in a low-growth environment, says the Davis/Selected American manager.