Durée
30h Th
Nombre de crédits
Enseignant
Langue(s) de l'unité d'enseignement
Langue anglaise
Organisation et évaluation
Enseignement au premier quadrimestre, examen en janvier
Horaire
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).
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 both an investment and legal perspectives and an in-depth analysis of mutual funds. This module will incorporate discussion about the introduction of sustainability criteria into the asset allocation decisions of mutual fund managers and make a refresh about current EU regulation in sustainability.
Module 2: Deviating from MPT - The case of the liquid alternative investment funds (Hedge Funds)
Module 3: Introduction to private market funds. This module presents how private market funds differ from traditional and liquid alternative funds, with a focus on private equity funds.
Module 4: The fund industry ecosystem: navigating among the different service providers
This module will cover the role and core functions of the management company, of the Alternative Investment Fund Manager (AIFM), of the depositary and custodians, the fund administrator, ...
Module 5: Fund industry in practice*
During this field trip, we will focus on the alternative funds (mostly the private market funds) as well as the latest innovations such as cryptocurrency funds. Key challenges and the digital evolution of the industry will also be discussed.
*This module is delivered during a pedagogic trip to Luxembourg
Module 6: Fund 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.
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 integrate sustainability criteria in investment decisions as well as to measure sustainability risks and the environmental impact of their investments
(3) Students will be able to conduct a due diligence on investment funds, establishing their financial strategy, their 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, research information autonomously.
(4) Students will master 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.
(5) 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.
(6) 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
Students should have prior knowledge in investments and portfolio management, audit and accounting.
Activités d'apprentissage prévues et méthodes d'enseignement
The course uses the following teaching approaches:
- Lectures
- Workshops with practitioners
- Problem-based learning (group work)
- Data collection on a financial dataset (Eikon)
- Didactic trip: A one-day visit of Deloitte Luxembourg will be organized in November and will cover the module "Fund industry in practice".
Mode d'enseignement (présentiel, à distance, hybride)
Cours donné exclusivement en présentiel
Informations complémentaires:
The course is composed of face-to-face lectures and workshops with practitioners. Students will have the unique opportunity to meet key players in the fund industry ecosystem such as fund managers (from different types of funds), depositary, fund auditor, fund accountants, alternative investment fund manager and management company.
The course includes a (graded) didactic trip to Luxembourg on November 6th (date to be confirmed).
Supports de cours, lectures obligatoires ou recommandées
Plate-forme(s) utilisée(s) pour les supports de cours :
- LOL@
Informations complémentaires:
Mandatory readings
The mandatory course material will be available on the course web page on lol@: https://lola.hec.uliege.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
Examen(s) en session
Session de janvier
- En présentiel
évaluation écrite
Session de août-septembre
- En présentiel
évaluation écrite ( questions ouvertes )
Travail à rendre - rapport
Evaluation continue
Informations complémentaires:
The course grade is split as follows:
-
30% of the grade is a project where students will design an active investment strategy for a UCITS or an alternative liquid (hedge) fund.
Each member of the group should participate actively to the assignment to get the group grade. Project enrolment will be closed on October 10.
- 50% of the grade is a written exam.
-
20% continuous evaluation relative to the didactic trip: The evaluation will take into account the active participation to the activities organized during the field trip (in November) to Luxembourg (tentative date: 6 November 2026 - all day - departure from HEC Liège around 7.00 AM).
Attendance to this didactic trip and (all) its activities is mandatory. Students who cannot participate need to notify the professor and the assistant in advance. Only excused students (with a certificate) will be authorized to take a retake (written) evaluation on the material covered that day on November 27th. Absent students will get a 0 for this part of their course grade. Partial attendance is not authorized.
-
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 course (and therefore have 0 in continuous evaluation and for the group work), will not be allowed to participate to the first session's exam.
- The grade split for the second session is the same as in the first session. The retake assessment on the didactic trip (20%) will take place together with the written exam (50%). Students who failed the group projet will receive an individual take-home assignment (30%).
Stage(s)
Remarques organisationnelles et modifications principales apportées au cours
The course offers unique opportunities to students to benefit from the expertise of high-stake professionals in the fund industry. Therefore, attendance to the course is critical.
Since the continuous evaluation and a group project represents a substantial part of the course grade, course enrollment will be closed after October 10 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.
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Students are encouraged to ask questions on the material during the class and/or at the end of each session. Outside the course hours, students should send their questions to the teaching assistant anouck.faverjon@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.
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The course structure and content has been adapted to include the latest innovation in the financial industry. The course will also include new case discussions and practical workshops with practioners. The split in the assessment methods and content of the group work have been revised accordingly.
Contacts
Professor:
Marie Lambert - Professor at HEC Liège
Teaching assistant:
Anouck Faverjon