Financial Markets Residency
This weeklong in-person course builds on the concepts and skills learned in the Financial Markets course through a deep dive into the investment industry, especially mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). The course consists of lectures from industry experts and full-time faculty with extensive research records and industry experience. The cornerstone of the course is a case competition where the students will be assigned to teams. Besides spending much of the week gathering and analyzing data for their presentation, the students will receive coaching on their presentation skills. The course faculty will also advise the student teams in one-on-one sessions.
Student Learning Objectives
Listed below are some important examples of what the student should know at the end of this course.
• How to gather data from critical information sources such as CRSP and Compustat
• How to analyze large databases
• The strategic evaluation process for a new business (e.g., evaluating a firm’s competitive advantages and vulnerabilities)
• The differences between mutual funds and ETFs
• The empirical evidence on the performance of actively managed funds
• Real-world experience with interpreting the investment goals of mutual funds and ETFs
• How to estimate the advisor’s profitability for a mutual fund or ETF
• The difference between the goal of a fund’s investment advisor and the goal of the fund’s investors
• How to make a professional presentation
