BE633-6-AU-CO:
Alternative Investments

The details
2024/25
Essex Business School
Colchester Campus
Autumn
Undergraduate: Level 6
Current
Thursday 03 October 2024
Friday 13 December 2024
15
12 August 2024

 

Requisites for this module
BE313
(none)
(none)
(none)

 

(none)

Key module for

BSC N300 Finance,
BSC N301 Finance (Including Foundation Year),
BSC N302 Finance (Including Year Abroad),
BSC N304 Finance (Including Placement Year)

Module description

The purpose of this module is to introduce students to the principles of alternative investments.


This module provides a detailed analysis of various classes of alternative investments in the financial markets. Specifically, these classes include commodities, hedge funds, mutual funds, private equity/venture capital and real estate investment trusts (REITS). The theoretical part of the module aims at deepening the understanding of each given investment category, while the practical part focuses on formulating and implementing various active and passive investment strategies, as well as quantifying the risks associated with them

Module aims

The aims of this module are:



  • To provide an in-depth understanding of the alternative investment assets available to private and institutional investors in a globalised market.

  • To focus on the industries classified under alternative investments.

  • To add a new dimension to the construction and management of traditional investment portfolios, such as bonds and equities.

Module learning outcomes

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



  1. Have a clear and comprehensive understanding of alternative asset classes as investment vehicles.

  2. Understand how one can invest in various commodities, construct related portfolios and manage them for both hedging and investment purposes.

  3. Gain an in-depth knowledge of the structure of the hedge fund industry and its investments strategies.

  4. Evaluate the performance of mutual and hedge fund managers.

  5. Use real estate and private equity as a profit enhancing investment method and understand the structure of these investment vehicles.

  6. Formulate various active and passive investment strategies, analyse and manage their risk.


Skills for Your Professional Life (Transferable Skills)


This module is geared towards building up or enhancing the following transferable skills:



  1. Ability to contribute to the shaping and implementation of an investment decision.

  2. Planning and working independently using various learning resources.

  3. Debate, formulate and solve problems within the field of alternative investment management.

  4. Ability to analyse real-market data.

  5. Understanding of the current literature in the field.

Module information

No additional information available.

Learning and teaching methods

This module will be delivered via:

  • One 2-hour lecture per week.
  • One 1-hour class per week.

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
Coursework   Individual Essay  13/12/2024  100% 
Exam  Main exam: In-Person, Open Book, 120 minutes during Summer (Main Period) 
Exam  Reassessment Main exam: In-Person, 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 Christos Argyropoulos, email: c.argyropoulos@essex.ac.uk.
Dr Christos Argyropoulos and Professor Alexandros Kontonikas
c.argyropoulos@essex.ac.uk

 

Availability
Yes
No
No

External examiner

No external examiner information available for this module.
Resources
Available via Moodle
Of 58 hours, 58 (100%) hours available to students:
0 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s), module, or event type.

 

Further information
Essex Business School

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