BE313-5-FY-KS:
Portfolio Analysis
2023/24
Essex Business School
Kaplan Singapore
Full Year
Undergraduate: Level 5
Current
Thursday 05 October 2023
Friday 28 June 2024
15
06 November 2023
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
BE314, BE329, BE331, BE332, BE335, BE630, BE631, BE633, BE937
BSC N420JS Accounting and Finance,
BSC N420NS Accounting and Finance,
BSC N390JS Banking and Finance,
BSC N390NS Banking and Finance
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.
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.
By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:
- Understand what is meant by an efficient portfolio and how to identify efficient portfolio.
- Explain how investors may fully exploit the benefits of diversification.
- Understand the importance of the CAPM and APT.
- 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:
- Develop quantitative skills from assessing risk and returns across different asset classes such as stocks and bonds.
- Identify and implement investment strategies in determining the optimal mix of risk-return investment portfolios.
- Critically evaluate portfolio performance and adjust portfolios to meet the investment objectives.
- Evaluate financial information and make investment management decisions.
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.
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.
The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course.
The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students.
Further reading can be obtained from this module's
reading list.
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
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Emmanouil Pyrgiotakis, email: e.pyrgiotakis@essex.ac.uk.
ebsugcol@essex.ac.uk
No
No
No
No external examiner information available for this module.
Available via Moodle
No lecture recording information available for this module.
Disclaimer: The University makes every effort to ensure that this information on its Module Directory is accurate and up-to-date. Exceptionally it can
be necessary to make changes, for example to programmes, modules, facilities or fees. Examples of such reasons might include a change of law or regulatory requirements,
industrial action, lack of demand, departure of key personnel, change in government policy, or withdrawal/reduction of funding. Changes to modules may for example consist
of variations to the content and method of delivery or assessment of modules and other services, to discontinue modules and other services and to merge or combine modules.
The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will also keep students informed appropriately by updating our programme specifications and module directory.
The full Procedures, Rules and Regulations of the University governing how it operates are set out in the Charter, Statutes and Ordinances and in the University Regulations, Policy and Procedures.