The global credit crunch could hit the economy in the US but massive liquidity in the Gulf region means it is a good time for people here to invest.

That was one of the messages from Leeds University accounting professor Peter Moizer at the Global Finance and Corporate Governance Conference, at the Diplomat Radisson SAS Hotel, Residence and Spa on Monday.

More than 40 leading financiers and bankers from Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia turned up for the one-day event organised by the Bahrain-based Management Development Centre Interna-tional (MDCI) and the University of Leeds.

Prof Moizer said that with the downturn in house prices in the US, and to a lesser extent the UK, what had been a credit squeeze could turn into a real economic downturn bringing inflation and job losses.

'The financial markets have been in turmoil and that could now be affecting the real economy so it's a good time to come here to let people know more about what is going on and help them learn.'

Leeds University in the UK has been building links with the region and will this year offer an MSc degree in international banking and finance, which will allow students to study here in Bahrain but graduate in the UK in a programme run jointly with MDCI.-TradeArabia News Service