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The Alaska Permanent Fund Corp. Board of Trustees meets in Anchorage today, a day after the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 680 points, or 7.7 percent, and after a year in which the state's oil-fueled savings account lost more than $10 billion.

During the two-day meeting, trustees will hear from their own investment consultants about fund performance. They are inviting the public to hear from some of the top names in international finance, who they'll be making available to Alaskans by video conference.

Fixed-income investor Mohamed El-Erian, of PIMCO, will speak to the trustees today, in a session carried by video conference to Juneau and Fairbanks.

The public is invited to the 3 p.m. presentation, said Laura Achee, spokeswoman for the fund. The corporation's Juneau office is at 801 W. 10th St.

PIMCO is one of the nation's most highly regarded bond investment firms, and it manages some investments for Alaska. El-Erian is co-chief executive officer and co-chief investment officer for PIMCO, which manages $790 billion in assets.

El-Erian also is the former president and CEO of Harvard Investment Management Co. He is author of "When Markets Collide: Investment Strategies for the Age of Global Economic Change," which was awarded the Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year award for 2000.

On Wednesday, John Paulson, CEO of Paulson and Co., will speak at 1:30 p.m. That presentation will be carried by video conference to the corporation's Juneau office only.

Paulson's firm produced high returns last year by betting against subprime mortgages, Achee said. Paulson & Co. also manages hedge fund investments for Alaska.

Also on Wednesday, trustees will attend a luncheon presentation sponsored by Commonwealth North, which bills itself as the state's premier nonpartisan public policy forum.

Rob Parenteau, director and economic strategist for Dresdner RCM Global Investors, will give a luncheon address on "Pushing Through a Hard Recession."

RCM manages a portion of the fund's stock investment portfolio.

Commonwealth North drew attention in Juneau last year when it recommended moving the corporation's headquarters out of the city, saying the permanent fund could be managed better elsewhere. The trustees rejected that request.

• Contact reporter Pat Forgey at 523-2250 or patrick.forgey@juneauempire.com.