Description of Assignment: Securities Trading Challenge
Based upon the course learnings and participation in external investment gatherings, you will design and publish an investment portfolio and trading strategy. You need to consider your personal propensity for risk as well as short and long-term financial objectives. The paper should consider all publicly traded securities that we studied in this course (bonds, stocks, commodity and currency futures, options, mutual funds, and ETFs) and geographic diversity. You don’t need to include all in your strategy, but you need to explain the rationale for the ones that you’ve chosen.
The strategy development can be conceptual or quantitative based upon your skillset. The final paper should be 3-5 pages including graphs and visuals.
It should include an explanation of the investment strategy, asset allocation decisions, and critically analyze the potential (possibly back-tested) results of the portfolio management. The report preparation allows the students to revisit all learning points and practice with professional reporting.
The content of the report should include, but not limited to:
- Executive Summary; identify the risk profile that you are addressing in your chosen strategy
- Description of the Investment Strategy or Strategies used for each asset class or overall
- Description of the asset allocation, if any;
- Analysis of the market, macro-, industry, and other factors affecting the investment decision.
- Valuation of the market, or specific industry or company/investment;
- Analysis of particular events and securities performance in anticipation/reaction to these events
- Conclusion and lessons learned;
Rubrics :
Criteria
Areas to consider
Weighting
Executive Summary
– Succinctly summarizes your report
10%
Investment Strategy (ies) and/or asset allocation
– Identify appropriate investment strategy or strategies fitting the IPS
– Develop and follow the asset allocation strategy
15%
Analysis
– Conduct macroeconomic, market, industry analysis, etc., and analyse how these affect your investment decision.
20%
Valuation
– Conduct valuation using methods covered during the course;
15%
– Analysis of particular events and securities performance in anticipation / reaction to these events
– Provide possible theoretical to observed trends, explain your own strategy in view of particular events
15%
Conclusion and lessons learned
– Critique of the portfolio – what would you have done differently knowing what you know now?
– How would you change your portfolio strategy and security selection process?
15%
Citations/
Spelling & Grammar/
Formatting
The report cites all data obtained from external sources. APA citation style is used in both text and references. No spelling &/or grammar mistakes. Report is professionally formatted.
