Two of UCLA Anderson School of Management's most prominent alumni — Bill Gross and Larry Fink — came together to lead a wide-ranging discussion on global economics and financial markets that was live-streamed by CNBC.
Gross, founder and co-CIO of PIMCO, which manages the world's largest bond fund, and Fink, chairman and chief executive officer of BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, focused their conversation on an emerging concern: a new workforce that may be ill-prepared to respond to the needs of advancing technology and the demands of future economies.
The Oct. 3 event, sponsored by UCLA Anderson, was moderated by CNBC's Brian Sullivan. The conversation covered a wide range of topics, including the nation's education crisis and the pair's bullish enthusiasm for investment in Mexico. Fink discussed the negative effects of corporate CEOs focusing on short-term gains rather than long-term growth, which he described as "the death of long-termism." Gross said that low interest rates are leading to artificially depressed returns on investment.
Video highlights are available on UCLA Anderson's event page and analysis is posted on the school's blog.
Judy Olian, dean of UCLA Anderson School of Management, moderated the event. "It's obvious why Bill and Larry, who are a source of pride to the Anderson school, continue to shape financial markets around the world," she said.
Gross has been called "the nation's most prominent bond investor" by The New York Times and "the consigliore to the world's financial elite" by Forbes. He is the author of two popular books on investing, "Bill Gross on Investing" and "Everything You've Heard About Investing Is Wrong."
Fink has been named one of the "World's Best CEOs" by Barron's each year since 2005, and distinguished as one of the most respected people in finance by the Financial Times, Forbes, Fortune and SmartMoney.
