Geopolitical risk once again reared its head last quarter. Worries over the war in Iran linger into Q2 as well, with both WTI and Brent crude oil near triple digits. As earnings season gets underway, investors must also tune into key conferences in the coming weeks and months.
The Strait of Hormuz, AI disruption in the software industry, private credit “cockroaches,” along with uncertainty surrounding what the Fed might do, all weigh heavily on C-suites worldwide. Capital allocation decisions are difficult right now, and while the easy choice may be to sit tight and boost balance sheet liquidity, that’s just not what the street sees.
Indeed, first-quarter M&A activity was lit, capex trends remain high (particularly in tech), and shareholder-friendly activities are encouraging. Our team is also on the lookout for several massive IPOs. We’ll learn more about company-specific cash-use intentions this month and next as peak shareholder meeting season unfolds.
All the while, new trends emerge, including a box office bounceback and a collective awe as humans once again orbited the moon—yes, there are corporate gatherings on those fronts, too!
In the here and now, three major themes are poised to shape CEO decision-making, investor behavior, and market-wide price action:
- Main Street’s Struggle: Can households endure a prolonged period of $4-plus pump prices? Sure, 10–15% higher tax refunds help, but that boost may only last a handful of months before excess savings disappear. For now, high-frequency retail sales data have held up. Once again, though, the K-shaped economy points to concentrated spending among upper-income households.
- AI: A Threat to Some, an Opportunity for Others: The HALO trade (heavy-asset, low-obsolescence) was coined by CNBC’s Josh Brown in February. Software companies (seen as disruptable) saw their share prices plunge in the first half of last quarter and are now back under pressure. Semiconductor firms, meanwhile, reached record highs just recently. Amid wild near-term swings, what’s the longer-term strategy for both SaaS providers and chip manufacturers? We should learn more this conference season.
- Private Credit Under the Microscope: It’s not just consumer sectors and tech; Financials has come under fire. The AI fear trade has bled over into the multi-trillion-dollar private credit space. Bank executives may face tough questions, along with scrutiny of their outlooks for the broader economy.
Volatility is elevated. Uncertainty just seems to linger. Consumer sentiment is at record lows. A single conference calendar is unlikely to change those forces, but investors can glean clues on where industry trends may head: By piecing together corporate body language amid all the slide decks and hedged statements, portfolio managers can stay a step ahead.
Here are the conferences to watch:
Information Technology & Communication Services
April 22: Google Cloud Next
May 12: Needham 21st Annual Technology, Media & Consumer Conference
May 18: JP Morgan Global Technology, Media and Communications Conference
May 19: FICO World
May 20: UBS Technology, Media & Internet Conference
May 27: Jefferies Software, Internet, and AI Conference
May 27: TD Cowen and Company 54th Annual Technology Media and Telecom Conference
June 2: Bank of America Global Technology Conference
June 8: Barclays Technology, Media and Telecommunications Conference
June 8: Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC)
June 9: Bank of America C-Suite TMT Conference
Health Care
April 13: Needham and Company 25th Annual Healthcare Conference
April 16: Piper Sandler Spring Biopharma Symposium
May 12: Bank of America Securities Global Healthcare Conference
May 19: RBC Capital Markets Global Healthcare Conference
May 19: Stifel Targeted Oncology Virtual Forum
June 2: Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference
June 8: Goldman Sachs 47th Annual Global Healthcare Conference
Consumer Discretionary & Consumer Staples
April 13: CinemaCon
May 12: Goldman Sachs European Consumer Staples and Retail Conference
May 19: HSBC Consumer Conference
May 19: Morgan Stanley Luxury Conference
May 20: Citi Luxury & Premium Brands Conference
June 1: Morgan Stanley Travel & Leisure Conference
June 2: Baird 25th Annual Global Consumer Technology & Services Conference
June 2: Deutsche Bank 23rd Annual dbAccess Global Consumer Conference
Financials & Real Estate
April 15: AI in Finance Summit
April 29: JP Morgan, Fixed Income IG Real Estate Conference
May 4: Wells Fargo Real Estate Securities Conference
May 12: J.P. Morgan US Insurance Forum
May 13: Wells Fargo Financial Services Investor Conference
May 19: Truist Securities Financial Services Conference
May 27: Goldman Sachs Eleventh Annual Leveraged Finance and Credit Conference
May 27: Deutsche Bank Global Financial Services Conference
June 10: Morgan Stanley 17th Annual US Financials, Payments & CRE Conference
Industrials
April 13: Space Foundation Space Symposium
April 28: Evercore Transportation & Logistics Summit
May 12: Bank of America 33rd Annual Transportation, Airlines and Industrials Conference
May 21: Jefferies Automotive Aftermarket Conference
June 16: Goldman Sachs European Business Services and Transport & Leisure Conference
June 16: Truist Securities Industrials and Services Conference
Energy & Utilities
April 20: Nuclear in New Mexico: Fueling the U.S. Nuclear Renaissance Conference
April 20: FT Commodities Global Summit
May 14: Deutsche Bank Solar & Clean Tech Conference
May 19: Goldman Sachs Utilities & Clean Energy Conference
June 2: RBC Capital Markets Global Energy, Power and Infrastructure Conference
June 23: JP Morgan Natural Resources Conference: An Energy, Power, Renewables & Mining Event
Materials
May 5: Raymond James Cinco de Mayo Mexico Mining Conference
May 11: Bank of America Global Metals, Mining and Steel Conference
May 13: BMO Capital Markets 21st Annual Farm to Market Conference
May 19: Canaccord Genuity 5th Annual Global Metals & Mining Conference
June 3: Deutsche Bank 17th Annual Basic Materials Conference
June 11: RBC Capital Markets Global Mining and Materials Conference
Regional
May 11: Bank Of America Securities China Conference
May 12: UBS Best of Europe Conference
May 13: Morgan Stanley 17th Saudi Arabia and 6th MENA Conference
May 18: Oppenheimer 27th Annual Israeli Conference
May 18: UBS Investing in Europe Conference
May 18: Citi’s Pan-Asia Conference
May 18: Berenberg European Conference
May 19: RBC Canadian Industrials Conference
May 20: Barclays 2nd Annual European Leadership Conference
May 20: JP Morgan Global China Summit
June 2: Goldman Sachs 30th Annual European Financials Conference
Investor-Specific & Multi-Sector
May 4: Oppenheimer 21st Annual Industrial Growth Conference
May 5: Barclays Americas Select Franchise Conference
May 21: Bernstein 21st Annual Pan-European Small & Mid-Cap Conference
May 27: Bernstein 42nd Annual Strategic Decisions Conference (SDC)
June 2: William Blair 46th Annual Growth Stock Conference
June 3: Stifel 9th Annual Cross Sector Insight Conference
June 9: Wells Fargo 16th Annual Industrials & Materials Conference
June 17: Morningstar Investment Conference
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Originally Posed April 15, 2026 – Q2 2026 Investor Conference Calendar: Reading the Corporate Body Language
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