25721 Investment Management
Subject description
This subject develops your understanding of the investment process and equips you with the tools for constructing portfolios and making investment decisions. You will learn about the measurement of risk and return, modern portfolio theory, the construction of efficient portfolios, risk pricing, equity valuation, market efficiency, and investor behaviour.
Subject learning outcomes (SLOs)
1. Evaluate the roles played by risk and return in asset pricing models
2. Construct and analyse investment portfolios
3. Apply valuation techniques to equity and fixed-income securities
4. Compute portfolio performance measures
5. Explain links between the theory and the practice of investment management
Teaching and learning strategies
This subject is presented using a combination of lectures, case studies, readings and videos. Students are expected to take the lead in promoting informed discussion of key concepts.
This subject will use the "fipped education' model where students will have access to online learning resources and will undertake preliminary leaning tasks prior to coming to classes where a high level of interaction is expected in order to encourage students to develop their own economic intuition and formulate their own views. The learning management system and Excel spreadsheets are used extensively. When possible, we bring current research into the classroom. We do this through discussion, referring to topical papers and analysing current data from the financial markets. Consistent with Learning Futures, this subject will enable students to experience an effective integration of online and face-to-face on-campus learning.
Students will receive feedback in the following ways: Class participation- opportunity to discuss and work through problems in a group, then get immediate feedback from the lecturer; Assessments- general feedback will be provided on the learning management system, students can also receive individual feedback by attending one-on-one consultations with a lecturer; Discussion Board- individual questions related to lecture materials, tutorial questions and assessments can be posted on the leaming management system and will be monitored and answered by lecturers.
Nature of classes
During classes, students will be required to engage in collaborative leaming. Students will be asked to form. groups for in-class discussions and also work through problems together from the tutorials. Note that in order to get the most value out of those group exercises, it is very important to prepare in advance by reading the lecture slides, relevant chapters from the textbook and also articles from the ancillary reading list. You are most welcome to ask questions during classes, remember there are no stupid questions; this provides instant feedback to your lecturer about your current level of understanding.
Nature of assessments
Students will be required to provide written and numerical responses in exams and the assignment. The assessments provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of theory, its practical application, and its interpretation. The assessments also assist students to further develop skills in the areas of report writing, the articulation of abstract ideas, and the ability to discuss current developments in the context of established paradigms and practices. The course uses data from sources such as ASIc, AsX, AOFM and the RBA.
Workload
It is expected that students will spend around six hours per week studying this course. This time should be made up of preparing for class by reading the chapters associated with each lecture, reading the ancillary material provided on the learning management system, and working through the tutorials. Students are expected to participate in discussions in class. In periods where you need to complete assignments or prepare for examinations, the workload will be greater.
Discussions
Students are strongly encouraged to use the Discussions on the leaning management system to ask questions related to lecture materials, tutorial problems and assessments. Note that Discussions is not only a platform. for students to interact with their lecturers, it also presents a great opportunity for collaborative leaning among the students themselves. You are more than welcome to answer other students' queries, do not worry about being wrong since the Discussions will regularly be monitored by the subject coordinator.
An aim of this subject is to help you develop academic and professional language and communication skills to succeed at university and in the workplace. During the course of this subject, you will complete a milestone assessment task that will, in addition to assessing your subject-specific leaning objectives, assess your English language proficiency.
Content (topics)
Rates of return, investment mathematics and statistics
Theory of efficient markets and behavioural finance concepts
Risk and return, portfolio theory, combinations of securities in portfolios.
The single index model
Capital asset pricing model
Equity valuation models
Fund performance evaluation and attribution
Fixed income portfolio analysis and bond portfolio immunization