*  *  *  To the organizers of the Retail Investment Conference, led by Ms. April Lynn Tan, President of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Society of the Philippines, guests, ladies and gentlemen, good morning. I am delighted to welcome you to the CFA’s first Retail Investment Conference.
Coming after the country’s successful hosting of the World Economic Forum last week, and before that the country’s receipt of the one-notch further credit rating upgrade from Standard and Poor’s, this conference dedicated to the Filipino retail investor could not have come at a more opportune time.