FINA0053-1 : Investments and Portfolio Management

Study Programmes 2016-2017

FINA0053-1

Investments and Portfolio Management

Duration :

30h Th

Number of credits :

Master in economics : general (120 ECTS)		5
Master in management (120 ECTS)		5
Master in business engineering (120 ECTS)		5
Bachelor in mathematics		6
Master in mathematics (120 ECTS)		5

Lecturer :

Georges Hübner

Language(s) of instruction :

English language

Organisation and examination :

Teaching in the second semester

Units courses prerequisite and corequisite :

Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program

Learning unit contents :

The course follows the whole investment process. Its logical follow-ups are the courses of Financial Risk Management (BAM, FE, E&F), Financial Risk Modeling (FE, E&F), Estate and Financial Planning (BAM), among others.
This course features in the framework of the CFA Institute University Recognition Program. It spans a significant portion of the CFA Programe Candidate Body of Knowledge (CBOK), and explicitly prepares for the CFA certification.
Course structure (following "Analysis of Investments & Management of Portfolios" (10th ed), by Keith C. Brown & Frank K. Reilly (henceforth B&R)
Background (based on readings prepared before the course starts)
General background B&R Part 1: THE INVESTMENT BACKGROUND: pre-reading
2. For equity markets: Overview of equity securities by Ryan C. Fuhrmann, CFA and Asjeet S. Lamba, CFA):

Types of equity securities and their characteristics
Equity markets : characteristics, institutions, and benchmarks

3. For bond markets: (i) Fixed-income securities: defining elements by Moorad Choudhry, PhD, and Stephan E. Wicox, PhD, CFA (ii) Fixed-income markets: Issuance, trading and funding by Moorad Choudhry, PhD, Steven V. Mann, PhD, and Lavone F. Whitmer, CFA

Types of fixed income securities and their characteristics
Fixed Income markets : characteristics, institutions and benchmarks

Detailed plan:
A. Efficient capital markets
1. Efficient Market Hypotheses
2. Tests and Results of the Hypotheses
3. Behavioral Finance
4. Implications of Efficient Capital Markets
Reading B&R Ch 6. Efficient Capital Markets.
B - On the way to the CAPM
1. Risk and return: assumptions
2. Markowitz Portfolio Theory
3. The Capital Market Line
4. The Security Market Line
5. CAPM: Theory vs. Practice
Readings
B&R Ch 7. An Introduction to Portfolio Management. B&R Ch 8. An Introduction to Asset Pricing Models.
  C - Multifactor Models
1. Introduction to Multifactor Models
2. Arbitrage Pricing Theory
3. Empirical Multifactor Models
4. Style Analysis Reading B&R Ch 9. Multifactor Models of Risk and Return.     D - Passive and Active Strategies
1. Passive Strategies
2. Fundamental Active Strategies
3. Technical Active Strategies
4. Asset Allocation Readings
B&R Ch 15. Equity Portfolio Management Strategies. B&R Ch 16. Technical Analysis.
E - Bond Portfolio Management
1. Bond Valuation and Yields
2. The Yield Curve
3. Duration and Convexity: an Introduction
4. Bond Investment Strategies
Readings
B&R Ch 18. The Analysis and Valuation of Bonds. B&R Ch 19. Bond Portfolio Management Strategies.
F - Alternative Investments
1. The Notion of Alternative Investments
2. Hedge Funds
3. Issues in Hedge Funds Investments
4. Other Alternative Instruments
5. Alternatives²
Reading B&R Ch 24. Professional Money Management, Alternative Assets, and Industry Ethics.
+ extra material posted on the website G - Portfolio Performance
1. Traditional performance measures
2. Alternative performance presentation methods
3. Scope and use of these measures
4. Preference-related measures
Reading B&R Ch 25. Evaluation of Portfolio Performance.
+ extra material posted on the website
H - Special topics
based on guest lectures (specific material, attendance is compulsory)

Learning outcomes of the learning unit :

Understand the whole process of investment through links between several notions seen in other courses and practical applications. Intended Key Learning Outcomes:
In concordance with the Key Learning Outcomes of the Master in Management Sciences, this course aims to enable the student to:
- Strategy: Establish a strategy in order to optimize the value chain of a company, an organization or a project * based on the analysis of its financial and economic context. * taking into account its political, social and societal context. * adopting the position of a specialist in the field of management of his / her finality. * demonstrating a critical mind and scientific precision. - Implementation: Take charge of the everyday management of a company, an organization or a project * implementing the strategy that was established for this company, organization or project. * in a holistic perspective, taking into account the interactions between its different functions. * capitalizing on the characteristics of a more and more digitalized world. * analyzing his/her managerial practice with a critical and ethical mind. - Communication: Communicate efficiently, internally and externally, about a company, organization or project * in English. - Adaptability: Adapt his/her managerial practice to the needs of a fast-evolving world. * showing curiosity and a scientific precision of academic level. * showing creativity, autonomy and entrepreneurial spirit.

Prerequisite knowledge and skills :

This course requires few prerequisites. However, some acquaintance with financial markets and instruments is assumed (see prereadings). Familiarity with the cash flows discounting and basic statistical techniques (descriptive statistics, hypothesis testing and linear regression) are also assumed.

Planned learning activities and teaching methods :

Lectures
Exercise sessions
A case study based on the construction, the analysis and the control of a portfolio

Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning) :

face-to-face