University of Technology Sydney is hosting its inaugural conference on ‘Capital Market Dysfunctionality’ following the receipt of funding for research into the role of funds management in capital market efficiency or inefficiency.

The conference, on October 31 and November 1, will feature a lineup of academics who are specialising in funds management research, including former funds manager Ron Bird, from UTS, and the person behind the research grants, Paul Woolley, from the London School of Economics (LSE). Woolley, the recently retired founder of GMO in Europe, set up the Centre for Capital Market Dysfunctionality this year, with research grants to LSE, UTS and the Toulouse University. Bird is also a former senior executive of GMO, in Australia. The conference, attendance at which is by invitation, will include funds management practitioners discussing a broad range of subjects such as: behavioural finance, risk, trading and investment strategies. A central theme of the centre’s research is looking at whether the occasional phenomenon of stock market bubbles are fuelled by funds managers and whether they cause distortions in whole economies around the world. Information: Yvonne.Gray@uts.edu.au or (02) 9514 7777.