Former IMF Chief Economist Dr. Simon Johnson to Provide a Global View of the Financial...

Former IMF Chief Economist Dr. Simon Johnson to Provide a Global View of the
Financial Crisis

Wall Street Access Hosts Conference Call to Discuss Current Economic
Initiatives and Future Prospects for Global Banking System

NEW YORK, March 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Wall Street Access, a leading research and
brokerage firm, announced today that it will host a March 31 conference call
for institutional investors on the global financial crisis featuring Dr. Simon
Johnson, former Chief Economist for the International Monetary Fund. The call
will focus on several key issues including:

-- The viability of the banking system in the U.S. and abroad.
-- The effectiveness and consequences of recent initiatives to shore up
the
world financial system.

-- Recent efforts to stimulate the U.S. economy and create jobs, and
comparative actions elsewhere.

In addition to his time with the IMF, Johnson is the Ronald A. Kurtz Professor
of Entrepreneurship at MIT's Sloan School of Management, as well as a senior
fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington,
D.C., and a former member of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's
Advisory Committee on Market Information. Johnson will begin the call with a
discussion of how the credit crisis has been misunderstood and its global
impact, and then open the lines to questions from institutional investors.

The call begins at 11:00 am EDT on March 31and is open to institutional
investors only. For access, contact Rachel Jablow at 212-232-5634 or
rachel.jablow@wsaccess.com.

Dr. Johnson will be available to media after the call. Please direct all media
inquiries to Katrin Lieberwirth at 646-502-3548 or
klieberwirth@stantonprm.com.

"Dr. Johnson emphasizes that the crisis of consumer confidence has had
profound effects on the demand for credit and its counterpart, desired
savings, everywhere in the world," said Tom Burnett, Director of Research at
Wall Street Access. "We are pleased to host this call with Dr. Johnson to help
provide much-needed perspective for investors to make rational decisions in
this challenging environment."

About Dr. Simon Johnson
Johnson is the Ronald A. Kurtz Professor of Entrepreneurship at MIT's Sloan
School of Management, a position he has held since 2004. He is also a senior
fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington,
D.C., and co-founder of a website on the global economic and financial crisis,
http://BaselineScenario.com. From March 2007 through the end of August 2008,
Professor Johnson was the International Monetary Fund's Economic Counselor
(chief economist) and Director of its Research Department. At the IMF,
Professor Johnson led the global economic outlook team, helped formulate
innovative responses to worldwide financial turmoil, and was among the
earliest to propose new forms of engagement for sovereign wealth funds. In
2000-2001 Professor Johnson was a member of the US Securities and Exchange
Commissions Advisory Committee on Market Information. Mr. Johnson is an expert
on financial and economic crises. As an academic, in policy roles, and with
the private sector, over the past 20 years he has worked on crisis prevention,
amelioration, and recovery around the world, in both relatively rich and
relatively poor countries. His work focuses on how policymakers can limit the
impact of negative shocks and manage the risks faced by their countries.

About Wall Street Access
Wall Street Access' Institutional Services division provides value-added
security analysis, regulatory updates, as well as discreet and anonymous
execution of stock and option strategies, including large block trades. In
addition, Wall Street Access Institutional Services provides hedge funds and
other institutional investors with a steady stream of research across the
healthcare and energy industries. The division also provides research on
mergers, acquisitions and special situations opportunities, such as hostile
offers and business segment divestitures.

Headquartered in New York, Wall Street Access is an independent securities
firm that provides clients with institutional brokerage, securities research
and wealth management services. The firm's major focus is on research and
trade execution in equity, options and investment grade fixed income
securities. Its clients are primarily hedge funds and other institutions as
well as high-net-worth individuals. Founded in 1981, Wall Street Access is a
member of the NYSE, FINRA, ISE and SIPC. The Wall Street Access web site is
located at www.wsaccess.com. Wall Street Access's Institutional Services
division clears trades and all transactions through Pershing, LLC.

SOURCE Wall Street Access

Katrin Lieberwirth of Stanton Public Relations & Marketing, +1-646-502-3548,
klieberwirth@stantonprm.com, for Wall Street Access