Most CEOs, CIOs, portfolio managers and analysts attending an upcoming global finance conference in Vancouver expect that the U.S. will be affected by the global credit crisis for at least another year, according to a poll released today.

The 61st CFA Institute Annual Conference starts on May 11. In an advance poll of attendees (426 responded), a third expect the U.S. recovery will take longer than 18 months. This was in contrast to China, India, Russia, and Brazil, where expectations were for a 6-12 month recovery. Most attendees surveyed expect that Canada and Hong Kong will take 8-12 months to recover, according to the CFA.

This year’s conference line-up will cover global economic issues such as asset and risk allocation, investor behavior, the credit/liquidity crisis, the economic and political effects of globalization and the future of the dollar and other currencies, according to the CFA.

The poll also forecasts a difficult environment ahead for the equities market. Most survey respondents predicted that, over the next 10 years, the risk premium for equities over T-bills will be between two and six percent.

Nearly half of those polled (42%) said the U.S. dollar will cease to be the world’s reserve currency within a 10 year period.

This year’s conference speakers include Steven Levitt, author of Freakonomics and David Beatty, managing director of the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance, among others.

“Our annual conference will bring together more than 1,800 investment professionals from 70 countries,” said Tom Robinson, head of educational content at CFA Institute. “We expect the meeting of minds at this conference to produce sharp insights into where the world’s economies are going, and how investors are planning to navigate the shoals ahead as we enter what promises to be a difficult year or two for the Canadian and U.S. economies.”