Year-end outlook press event season is in full swing, with both Prudential [profile] and Hennessy [profile] both hosting such events this week.

David A. Hunt Prudential Investment Management President, Chief Executive Officer

On Tuesday Prudential Investment Management CEO David Hunt hosted the $947-billion asset manager's 2016 market outlook press lunch, titled "Opportunity Spotting in a Volatile, Risk-Averse World," at the Andaz hotel in midtown Manhattan. Hunt moderated a panel of four PMs, from four different units within Pru. The panelists were: Peter Clark, managing director at Jennison Associates; Peter Hayes, head of global investment research at Prudential Real Estate Investors; Ed Keon, managing director at Quantitative Management Assocaites; and Mike Lillard, managing director and chief investment officer of Prudential Fixed Income.

"We are unabashedly active asset managers, we are very research-based, and we are fundamentally long-term-oriented," Hunt told attending reporters. "We believe very much in our multi-manager approach ... It doesn't force a common house view. We actually like the fact that we have divergent views internally."

Journalists, PMs, and communications staff mingled in the second floor space, enjoying the view of the famous New York Public Library and later eating a fancy, buffet style lunch of chicken in wild mushroom broth, steak and chimichurri sauce, confit potatoes, tomato soup, corn chili parmesan pasta with rock shrimp on the side, roasted potatoes with smoked maple and rosemary, and kale salad with lemon, parmesan and anchovies. For dessert, there were four miniature options: flourless chocolate cake, cheesecake, apple pie, and pumpkin pie.

Neil Hennessy and his team held their eighth annual market outlook lunch yesterday at Mastro's steakhouse, also in midtown Manhattan. Hennessy, CEO and chief investment officer of his eponymous fund firm, have his view of what lies ahead for the markets before handing the stage over to one of his PMs, Brian Peery. Hennessy noted that his publicly-traded shop brought in $642 million in net inflows in ended fiscal 2015 (ended September 30) and enjoyed positive net flows on 73 percent of market days. The 26-year-old firm started in the mutual fund business 19 years ago and now has 16 funds and $6.6 billion in AUM.

34 journalists dined on mixed greens and balsamic vinaigrette, filet mignon with salmon, garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus, and the steak house's signature warm butter cake (topped with vanilla ice cream). And attendees went home with some chocolate-covered strawberries. 

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