Fund Industry

Durée

30h Th

Nombre de crédits

Enseignant

Marie Lambert

Langue(s) de l'unité d'enseignement

Langue anglaise

Organisation et évaluation

Enseignement au premier quadrimestre, examen en janvier

Horaire

Horaire en ligne

Unités d'enseignement prérequises et corequises

Les unités prérequises ou corequises sont présentées au sein de chaque programme

Contenus de l'unité d'enseignement

The course provides students with a deep and wide overview of the role of investment funds in the financial markets as well as the role of fund service providers. It covers the different types of funds, both from a legal and investment perspectives. The course describes the economic ecosystem in which the funds operate, which includes the different service providers (custody, depository, fund administrators, auditors, tax/legal advisors, distributors/placement agents, transfer agents) and stakeholders (supervisory authorities) surrounding the investment funds, including some general information about the fee structure (management fees, service providers' fees).
 
The course finally provides insights about the size of the market and the  legal and administrative conditions around the world as well as in the local environment (it will introduce students to the special case of Luxembourg, one of the leading market place for investment funds).
 
Part I. Types of investment funds (classification)


Module 1: From MPT to investment funds. The first module gives the theoretical material in order to understand the role of investment funds within the Modern Portfolio Theory framework. It gives a first description of the different types of funds based on an investment perspective: traditional funds versus alternative funds.
Module 2: Legal structure and regulatory framework: legal classification of investment funds. The module covers the legal framework and main investment vehicles for setting up a fund. It covers both European and US regulation. 
Module 3: Traditional and alternative investment funds: strategy-based classification of investment funds.
A. Traditional funds and innovations: Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), Environmental/Social and Governance factors (ESG), smart beta funds, factor investing, ... The module addresses some paradigm shifts in the industry towards (i) passive management (ii) more beta/risk management and the so-called "smart beta funds" and towards (iii) a clear separation between the management of normal returns (a.k.a. betas) and the management of abnormal returns (a.k.a. alphas) emanating from active managers' unique expertise. 
B. Hedge funds
C. Private capital funds
D. Real estate funds
 

Part II:  Investment fund management
 
Module 4: The role of the management company and of the Alternative Investment Fund Manager (AIFM). Module 4 covers the core functions of the ManCo and AIFM (i.e. portfolio management and risk management) of an investment fund according to its investment policy and regulatory status.
  Module 5: The role of the board of directors. Meeting with a fund general partner.
Module 6: Fund administration and audit module covers the service of fund administration (fees payment, investor redemption/subscription, role of transfer agent, prospectus and reporting) and accounting (NAV calculations, ...). It finally covers the independent audit function and introduces students to supervision bodies and legal requirements.

Module 7: Module on depositary services presents the role of the depositary for traditional and alternative funds as well as highlights their differences. The course will cover in details the duties of these service providers but also the implications of the contractual relationship with the fund sponsor. It will finally also provide students with market information (major players) and the current challenges with regard to new legal requirements.
  Module 8: Wrap up - Key steps to set up a fund. The last module concludes with the key steps when setting up an investment fund according to the fund type and the key information to be provided to investors as well as with fund marketing and distribution.

Acquis d'apprentissage (objectifs d'apprentissage) de l'unité d'enseignement

Students will develop the following individual capacities: 

   (1) Students will be able to differentiate the (i) investment strategies, (ii) risk and return potential and (iii) targeted investors of different types of funds.
 
(2) Students will be able to establish a threefold strategy to set up an investment fund: deciding on its financial strategy, its organizational/legal structure and its distribution channel including the targeted investors. For answering this concrete complex and transversal financial management problems, students will need to collect market data, model financial information, perform interviews, research information autonomously.
 
(3) Students will be able to execute the financial management of an investment fund. This includes the process to establish a fund, selecting or in-sourcing the service providers and organizing the distribution channels.
 
(4) Students will understand the key evolutions within the global fund landscape including its administrative, legal and economic contexts. Students will need to adapt their management practices in this specific context.
  (5) They will strengthen their communication skills in business related problems and in English.




Ce cours contribue aux attendus d'apprentissage suivants :
 
ILO-2 : Acquérir les connaissances et la compréhension de l'une des disciplines de spécialisation Ou approfondir sa connaissance du domaine de spécialisation par l'effectuation d'un premier Master de niveau universitaire.
 
ILO-5 : Intégrer des informations, des outils, des connaissances et des données contextuelles recherchés de manière autonome pour concevoir et proposer, individuellement ou au sein d'une équipe, des solutions originales, créatives et viables à des problèmes de gestion complexes réels ou simulés, en tenant compte, le cas échéant, du contexte humain, social et juridique. 
 
ILO-6 : S'exprimer dans deux langues étrangères dont l'anglais:  C1 en anglais et B2 dans l'autre langue.
 
ILO-7 : travailler en équipe de manière professionnelle.
 
ILO-8 : développer son leadership.
 
ILO-9 : développer son sens critique (argumentation).
 
ILO-10 : développer une vision globale transversale. 
 
ILO-11 : être créatif dans la conception de solutions.
 
ILO-12 : communiquer oralement d'une manière professionnelle.
 
ILO-13 : communiquer par écrit d'une manière professionnelle.
 
                   

Savoirs et compétences prérequis

The course groups students with different backgrounds and the course project will benefit from this diversity. 
Independently of their profile, students should still all have prior knowledge in investments and portfolio management, law, audit and accounting.
 

Activités d'apprentissage prévues et méthodes d'enseignement

The course consists of 10 lectures of three hours which provide both the academic and the practitioners' views on the current issues in the Fund Industry. Professionals in Fund Industry from the Luxembourg market place actively participate to the course. Luxembourg is by far the European leader (and second in the world behind the United States).
 

The course uses the following teaching approaches:

• Lectures
• Workshops with practitioners
• Workshop with researchers
• Problem-based learning (group work): The group assignment includes to work on a concrete complex and transversal financial management problems taking advantage of the different student profiles (Law, Economics, Banking and Asset Management, Financial Analysis and Audit) attending the class.
• Data collection on financial datasets (Preqin, Morningstar, Eikon, Eurekahedge)

Mode d'enseignement (présentiel, à distance, hybride)

The course is composed of 10 face-to-face or virtual (live) lectures. These lectures include workshops with practitioners.  Students will have the unique opportunity to meet key players in the fund industry ecosystem including fund managers/investment advisors (from different types of fund), depositary banks, fund lawyers, fund auditor, fund accountants, alternative investment fund manager and management company, fund distributor.
 
Digital material for the tutorials will also provided on lol@.

Adaptations organisationnelles liées au contexte sanitaire

Lectures recommandées ou obligatoires et notes de cours

Mandatory readings 
The mandatory course material will be available on the course web page on lol@: http://lola.hec.ulg.ac.be


Complimentary/Recommended readings     Andrew W. Lo, The Dynamics of the Hedge Fund Industry
Matthew Hudson, Funds: Private Equity, Hedge and All Core Structures (The Wiley Finance Series) 1st Edition
Rober Pozen et al., The Fund Industry: How Your Money is Managed Hardcover - February 8, 2011
Owen Concannon, CFA Institute Industry Guides: The Asset Management Industry Paperback - April 3, 2015
 

Modalités d'évaluation et critères

Vous trouverez ci-dessous les modalités d'évaluation envisagées pour les examens en présentiel et à distance ainsi que celle souhaitée en cas de session hybride. En fonction de l'évolution sanitaire, la modalité choisie vous sera communiquée au plus tard un mois avant le début de la session d'examen.

Toutes sessions confondues :

- En présentiel

évaluation orale

- En distanciel

évaluation orale ET travail à rendre

- Si évaluation en "hybride"

préférence en présentiel


Explications complémentaires:

The course grade is split as follows: 

• 50% grade is a project where students will work on a challenge called "set up your fund". For performing their assignment, students will need to research autonomously information regarding their assignment through access to performance datasets (Preqin, Morningstar, Eikon Refinitiv, Eurekahedge) and by performing, on their own, interviews of business professionals (met during the course or not).
  The project consists in a group report mentioning the individual contribution of each member, a peer review form filled out by each member and an oral group defence of the project. The grade is individual and will account for the quality of the project but also the personal contribution of the student to the group project as described in the report to be submitted and the peer review form.

• 20% grade is an individual oral exam. The oral examination will be organized on the same day as the group oral defence. 

• 30% continuous evaluation: 15% individual and 15% group grade. The individual evaluation will take into account quizzes organized during lectures and active and relevant Questions and Answers during lectures.  The group continuous evaluation will account for group in-class activities and homework. To obtain the group grade, group members should participate in the in-class activities.
  There will be no change in case of a switch to code orange regarding the pandemic situation.
  Retake exam (August)
  
  
  

• Students who fail at the first session or do not present themselves at the exam will have to (re)take the exam in the second session organized in August/September. There is no intermediary session.
• Students who did not participate to the group project, will not be allowed to participate to the first session's exam. They will do the "set up your fund" project on an individual basis and this will account for 40% of their grade. They will defend their project and participate to an oral exam for 40% of their grade. 20% of their final grade will consist of an evaluation of their ability to work in group and of their active continuous participation to the course.
• Students who failed the set up your fund project will re-do the "set up your fund" project on an individual basis and this will account for 40% of their grade. Students should contact the professor to confirm whether or not they have to redo the project. They will then participate to an oral exam on both the course content and the project defence for 40% of their grade. 20% of their final grade will consist of an evaluation of their ability to work in group and of their active continuous participation to the course.

Stage(s)

Remarques organisationnelles

Since a group project represents a substantial part of the course grade, course enrollment will be closed after October 31st as well as group enrollment. Each student should be enrolled in a group by that date to be authorized to enroll into the course and/or to take the January exam.
Students have the opportunity to ask questions on the material during the class and at the end of each session. Outside the course hours, students should send their questions to the teaching assistant alexandre.scivoletto@uliege.be who will organize a questions and answers session or an individual meeting.

Students are invited to check the lol@ platform on a regular basis for any practical information regarding the course or any schedule change.

Contacts

Professor:
Marie Lambert - Professor at HEC Liège - marie.lambert@uliege.be  
 
Teaching assistant:  
Alexandre Scivoletto: alexandre.scivoletto@uliege.be