BE313-5-AP-KS:
Portfolio Analysis

The details
2024/25
Essex Business School
Kaplan Singapore
Autumn & Spring
Undergraduate: Level 5
Current
Thursday 03 October 2024
Friday 21 March 2025
15
02 September 2024

 

Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)

 

BE314, BE329, BE331, BE332, BE335, BE630, BE631, BE633, BE937

Key module for

(none)

Module description

This module focuses on the theoretical and empirical underpinning of trading strategies adopted by fund managers. The course shall outline the main theories of risk and return and explore the implications of these theories for investors' decisions.

Module aims

The aims of this module are:



  • To give students an appreciation of different approaches to portfolio management.

  • To examine how investors may fully exploit the benefits of diversification.

  • To provide students with an understanding of the models that are relevant to the management of bond portfolios.

  • To introduce students to the main asset pricing models.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:



  1. Understand what is meant by an efficient portfolio and how to identify efficient portfolio.

  2. Explain how investors may fully exploit the benefits of diversification.

  3. Understand the importance of the CAPM and APT.

  4. Evaluate competing measures of bond risk.


Skills for Your Professional Life (Transferable Skills).


By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:



  1. Develop quantitative skills from assessing risk and returns across different asset classes such as stocks and bonds.

  2. Identify and implement investment strategies in determining the optimal mix of risk-return investment portfolios.

  3. Critically evaluate portfolio performance and adjust portfolios to meet the investment objectives.

  4. Evaluate financial information and make investment management decisions.

Module information

This module will address questions such as: What is the appropriate measure of risk for a particular security? How might investors decide on the weightings of different assets in their portfolios? How can we identify mispriced stocks? Should you invest your savings in an actively managed fund or in a passive fund?


The module will begin with an overview of how investors measure a security's risk and return and then, using Markowitz's mean-variance criteria, shall illustrate how efficient portfolios can be constructed. The main difficulty with Markowitz style optimisers is how fund managers predict future risk and returns of individual securities. In this course we shall introduce some of the approaches used to make those predictions.


Bonds are often regarded as a relatively low risk asset class. Alternative measures of bond risk are evaluated, and a portfolio strategy that claims to remove all risk is outlined and critically evaluated.

Learning and teaching methods

This module will be delivered via:

  • One 2-hour lecture per week.
  • One seminar per week.

Work will be given in advance (see Moodle web page) for you to attempt before the class.

Bibliography

This module does not appear to have a published bibliography for this year.

Assessment items, weightings and deadlines

Coursework / exam Description Deadline Coursework weighting
Exam  Reassessment Main exam: Remote, Open Book, 120 minutes during September (Reassessment Period) 

Exam format definitions

  • Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
  • In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
  • In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
  • In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary, for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.

Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.

Overall assessment

Coursework Exam
30% 70%

Reassessment

Coursework Exam
30% 70%
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Emmanouil Pyrgiotakis, email: e.pyrgiotakis@essex.ac.uk.
e.pyrgiotakis@essex.ac.uk

 

Availability
No
No
No

External examiner

No external examiner information available for this module.
Resources
Available via Moodle
No lecture recording information available for this module.

 

Further information
Essex Business School

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