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Lahore University of Management Sciences

FINN 454-Portfolio Management


Spring Semester 2015
Instructor Dr. Salman Khan
Room No. SDSB-408
Office Hours TBA
Email salman.khan@lums.edu.pk
Telephone 042-3560-8220
Secretary/TA Mr. Hassan Haider (5410)
TA Office Hours TBA
Course URL (if any) Suraj.lums.edu.pk

COURSE BASICS
Credit Hours 3
Lecture(s) Nbr of Lec(s) Per Week 2 Duration 1H15M
Recitation/Lab (per week) Nbr of Lec(s) Per Week Duration
Tutorial (per week) Nbr of Lec(s) Per Week Duration

COURSE DISTRIBUTION
Core
Elective ACF-Elective
Open for Student Category
Close for Student Category

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Course Description: The course is designed to study theory and empirical evidence relevant for portfolio management. An
emphasis is placed on understanding, how an investment professional would allocate funds in an hypothetical portfolio. The
course is rich in theory and modeling techniques. Major topics include estimation of capital market parameters, trade-off between
risk and return, optimal portfolio selection, equilibrium asset pricing models, and portfolio performance management.

Emphasis will be put on development and application of techniques that should be part of the tool kit of those interested in
becoming professional investors or portfolio managers. The course will utilize the newly established state of the art Trading Center
at SDSB. This includes live trading at Karachi Stock Exchange as well as the Bloomberg Terminal to extract the stock, industry and
economic data for analysis before taking any buy-sell decisions.

The course is divided into following four modules:


Module 1: Financial Markets and Asset Allocation
Module 2: Portfolio Theory
Module 3: Portfolio Management Strategies
Module 4: Portfolio Performance Evaluation

COURSE PREREQUISITE(S)
FINN 200 Intermediate Finance (FINN 200) or Investments (FINN 353) or Economics of Investment and Finance
(ECON363)
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COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES (CLO)
Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to:

1. Demonstrate understanding of the fundamental concepts, mainstream theories, and practices in portfolio
management;

2. Apply relevant financial concepts, tools, and theories to critically analyze and evaluate asset allocation issues
and recommend action consistent with the objective of creating value for investors;

3. Discuss and debate investment with ethical and global perspectives in making asset allocation decisions.

4. Present and defend analysis and recommendations effectively, both in oral and written forms. (General Learning
Goal)

5. Demonstrate applied portfolio management skills using Bloomberg Terminal, Microsoft Excel and Trading
Platform. (General Learning Goal)

UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM LEARNING GOALS & OBJECTIVES


General Learning Goals & Objectives
Goal 1 –Effective Written and Oral Communication
Objective: Students will demonstrate effective writing and oral communication skills
Goal 2 –Ethical Understanding and Reasoning
Objective: Students will demonstrate that they are able to identify and address ethical issues in an organizational
context.
Goal 3 – Analytical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills
Objective: Students will demonstrate that they are able to identify key problems and generate viable solutions.
Goal 4 – Application of Information Technology
Objective: Students will demonstrate that they are able to use current technologies in business and management
context.
Goal 5 – Teamwork in Diverse and Multicultural Environments
Objective: Students will demonstrate that they are able to work effectively in diverse environments.
Goal 6 – Understanding Organizational Ecosystems
Objective: Students will demonstrate that they have an understanding of Economic, Political, Regulatory, Legal,
Technological, and Social environment of organizations.

Major Specific Learning Goals & Objectives


Goal 7 (a) – Discipline Specific Knowledge and Understanding
Objective: Students will demonstrate knowledge of key business disciplines and how they interact including
application to real world situations. (including subject knowledge)
Goal 7 (b) – Understanding the “science” behind the decision-making process (for MGS Majors)
Objective: Students will demonstrate ability to analyze a business problem, design and apply appropriate
decision-support tools, interpret results and make meaningful recommendations to support the decision-maker
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Indicate below how the course learning objectives specifically relate to any program learning goals and objectives.

PROGRAM LEARNING GOALS AND COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES COURSE ASSESSMENT ITEM
OBJECTIVES
Goal 1 –Effective Written and Oral CLO#4 CP, Project Report, Presentation and
Communication Exam
Goal 2 –Ethical Understanding and CLO#3 CP (minor component)
Reasoning
Goal 3 – Analytical Thinking and Problem CLO#1,2 &4 CP, Quizzes, Assignments, Cases, and
Solving Skills Exam
Goal 4 – Application of Information CLO#5 Trading Terminal, Bloomberg Terminal,
Technology Assignments
Goal 5 – Teamwork in Diverse and CLO#4 Project
Multicultural Environments
Goal 6 – Understanding Organizational
Ecosystems
Goal 7 (a) – Discipline Specific Knowledge CLO#1,2,5 CP, Quizzes, Assignments, Project, and
and Understanding (Subject Knowledge) Exam
Goal 7 (b) – Understanding the “science” CLO#5 Project
behind the decision-making process

GRADING BREAKUP AND POLICY

The course grade is based on the following criteria:

Source % of Total
Class Participation 10
Quizzes/ Assignments 15
TEAM BASED:
Investment Policy Statement 10
Analyst Report 15
Portfolio Performance and Report 15

Final Examination (comprehensive) 35


Total 100

Class Participation and Attendance: Students are expected to attend all classes. If you are not present at the beginning of a class
or leave class during the session without instructor’s prior permission, you will be considered absent for the day. You will be
required to present a short analysis of impact of one or more major news that appeared in national and (or) international arena on
your portfolio (1-2 mins). All the students in the class must regularly go through the major national news papers (specifically the
business section). For this purpose students should read The Business Recorder, Wall Street Journal and Financial Times etc. The
students will be randomly selected and any one or more can be asked to present the news. The rest of the class is expected to
contribute.

All the sessions will take place in Trading Center Lab at SDSB. The group project component of the course requires the students to
get use to the Bloomberg Terminal for extracting data related to firm, industry and economics. They are expected to use this data
to develop stock valuation and portfolio related models in excel. Finally the students will use the results and buy-sell the stock
using Trading Platform. The process is recursive.
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Quizzes: Several unannounced quizzes will be given on the assigned material during the term. No make-up quizzes will be given.

Team Project: Students are required to form teams of 3 members in this course for preparing the investment policy statements
(IPS), analyst reports, and portfolio performance reports.

i) Team Formation
If the class size at the second week of class (for the class size to stabilize) is not a multiple of 3, then at most N = Remainder of
(class size/3) teams can have 4 members. The composition of a team cannot be changed once the term is formed, and each
team is at its own risk that its members may later withdraw or be dropped from this class during the semester. The team
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formation is due on 3 session. Each team should send the instructor an email on or before the due date with a list of team
members for the official record. Students who are not in a team by the due date will form teams of 1 member, and those
students will face a grade penalty on failing to meet the team formation deadline. Individual teams will be evaluated on the
same basis regardless of team size, and students in the same team will receive the same grade on the team-based grade
components regardless of their responsibilities within the team. The formation of team is on a first come, first served basis.

ii) Investment Policy Statement:


Each team is required to prepare an investment policy statement for a moderately aggressive equity fund that aims to
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achieve superior portfolio performance through capital gains. The statement is due on 4 Session, at the beginning of class.

iii) Portfolio Construction


Each team is required to construct an equity portfolio through LUMS Trading Platform over the course of this semester, with
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no less than 10 stocks listed on KSE 100 index accounting for 90% or more of the portfolio value on the market close of 5
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Session. The performance of this portfolio from inception (5 Session) to the market close of 25 Session is subject to an
evaluation and contributes to the team-based grades under Portfolio Performance and Report. You should visit the website
http://www.scstrade.com/ and look into fundamentals section for information that can help you in your initial stock
selection.

iv) Analyst Report:


Each team is required to prepare an analyst report for each stock included in its investment portfolio, and present the report
to the entire class on the scheduled date. Each team should submit its analyst report to the instructor on the last day
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scheduled for analyst report presentation, i.e., 14 Session, at the beginning of class. There are no specific content
requirements. The data must be downloaded from Bloomberg Data Base available in trading center. The text book that we
will use in this course will be of great help in developing analyst reports especially you can use the chapters in Part 3 and Part
4 of the book. Please visit the following websites for sample reports as well:

http://corporate.morningstar.com/US/documents/NASDCompliance/ADV_SBD_CurrentReport_InvestmentAnalysis.pdf
http://www.providentsolutions.co.uk/Documents/Investment%20Analysis%20Example%20Report.pdf
http://www.providentsolutions.co.uk/Documents/Investment%20Analysis%20Example%20Report.pdf

The submitted report is in general subject to the following format requirements:

Format
1. Margin: 1 inch 6. Executive Summary (1 pages)
2. Font size: 12 7. Introduction
3. Font: Times New Roman 8. Analysis (Stock 1, Stock 2….)
4. Line spacing: 1.5 9. Conclusions
5. Page limits: Maximum 10 pages (excluding 10. Exhibits
cover page and exhibits)
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v) Portfolio Performance and Report:
Each team is required to prepare a performance evaluation report for its investment portfolio from inception to the market
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close of 25 Session. Each team must submit the portfolio performance report (soft & hard copy) to the instructor before the
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beginning of 26 Session. The submitted report is in general subject to the same format requirements as the analyst report.
The report contents will be different and you are expected to provide the i) investment policy statement (IPS), ii) Analysis of
stocks in the portfolio in line with IPS iii) comparative analysis of portfolio performance over the given period (comparison
with local regional and global indices), iv) any transaction after the construction of the portfolio with adequate reasoning and
its impact on the portfolio value. v) going forward. Please look at the web links given in analyst report section which also
includes the portfolio performance reports.

The teams are expected to meet regularly outside the class in preparing the analyst report, trading sessions as well as
portfolio performance report. To minimize the “free-rider” problem, the instructor will provide a peer evaluation form to
each student to evaluate the contribution of his/her team members in developing the reports, carrying out the trade and
preparing for the presentation.

Assignments: Spreadsheet-based assignments are designed to sharpen your financial analysis skills. The format and other
requirements will be specified by the instructor. All assignments must be submitted on the due date. Late submissions will not be
accepted.

Examination: The final examination will comprise a mix of MCQs and/or open-ended questions.

Calculator Requirement: You will need a financial calculator capable of performing present value/future value functions. For
example, Texas Instrument BA II meets these criteria. Many other brands are equally suitable for this course.

EXAMINATION DETAIL

Yes/No: No
Combine Separate: -
Midterm
Duration: -
Exam
Preferred Date: -
Exam Specifications:

Yes/No: Yes
Combine Separate: Combined
Final Exam
Duration: 2 Hours
Exam Specifications:
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COURSE SCHEDULE
MODULE/ SESSION OUTCOME(S)
SESSION TOPIC READING MATERIAL
SESSION (STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO …)
Module 1: Investment
show the knowledge regarding individual
investments criteria, its measurement and the
Session 1 Investment Process Chapter 1
various factors that cause change in investors’
required returns.
display the asset allocation and portfolio
Session 2 Asset Allocation Decision Chapter 2 management process as well as the differing
objectives and constraints across investors.
demonstrate the knowledge of different
instruments trading in the domestic and global
Session 3 The Investment Decision Chapter 3
markets, their individual characteristics and
relationships with other factors such as risk.
define and explain the major equity and bond
Session 4 Indexes Chapter 5 market indexes, there characteristics as well as
how to construct and maintain it.
explain the difference between various types of
Professional Asset Management
Session 5 Chapter 24 PAM based on how they are organized, their
(PAM)
management structure and investment style.
Module 2: Investment Theory
Efficient Market Hypothesis understand the EMH along with the three sub-
Session 6 Chapter 6
(EMH) hypotheses and their application in the real world.
learn and explain the various tests historically
Efficient Market Hypothesis:
Session 7 Chapter 6 conducted to test the EMH. They will be able to
Testing and Implications
run similar tests.
explain the assumptions behind MPT, derive the
Markowitz Portfolio Theory portfolio risk and return equations for two or
Session 8 Chapter 7
(MPT) more assets. They will be able to show these
equations graphically.
explain the assumptions behind CMT, derive the
Session 9 Capital Market Theory (CMT) Chapter 8 capital market line (CML) and show the line
graphically.
conceptually develop the CAPM and show
Capital Asset Pricing Model graphically the security market line (SML). They
Session 10 Chapter 8
(CAPM) will be able to identify the under and overvalued
assets.
relax certain assumptions related to CMT and
Session 11 Testing CAPM Chapter 8 analyze the SML behavior. They will be able to
test capm using various testing methods.
define APT with respect to the deficiencies as well
Session 12 Arbitrage Pricing theory (APT) Chapter 9 as anomalies in CAPM. They will be able to
develop APT equation and apply it.
identify and explain the Fama French three and
four factor model. They will learn to identify
Session 13 Fama French Factor Models Chapter 9
various risks factors and construct their own
factor model.
demonstrate the knowledge of how various
Session 14 Behavioral Finance Chapter 6 psychological traits affect investors, analysts and
portfolio managers.
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Session 15 GUEST LECTURE Able to differentiate between the portfolio
management theory and the practice in Pakistan
financial markets.
Portfolio Management Strategies
differentiate various equity portfolio management
Active and Passive Equity
Session 16 Chapter 15 styles based on goals and explain the techniques
Portfolio Strategies
for constructing passive index portfolios.
apply integrated, strategic, tactical and insured
Session 17 Asset Allocation Strategies Chapter 15
asset allocation.
differentiate various bond portfolio management
Active and Passive Bond
Session 18 Chapter 19 styles and strategies along with knowledge of how
Portfolio Strategies
to practically apply it.
Core-Plus Management apply mix (active and passive) bond portfolio
Session 19 Chapter 19
Strategies strategies.
Module 4: Portfolio Performance
Performance Management explain what is required from a portfolio manager
Session 20 Chapter 25
Techniques and Measurements and how to measure it.
Portfolio Performance evaluate the portfolio performance using
Session 21 Chapter25
Evaluation different measures.
Reporting Investment show how to report the portfolio investment
Session 22 Chapter25
Performance performance.
Module 5: Portfolio Hedging
demonstrate knowledge of forward and futures
Session 23 Forward and Futures Chapter 21 contract mechanics, their use in hedging, their
valuation and application.
develop an option contract, explain its mechanics
Session 24 Option Contract Chapter 22 and its basic uses in hedging. They will be able to
value an option as well.
build a SWAP contract, its application in hedging
Session 25 SWAP contracts Chapter23
risk and its valuation.
Session 26 Portfolio Risk Management TBD
Session 27 Group Presentations
Session 28 Group Presentations
Final Examination
(Comprehensive)

TEXTBOOK(S)/SUPPLEMENTARY READINGS
Textbook:
-Analysis of Investment & Management of Portfolios, 10e, Frank K. Reilly, Keith C. Brown (R&B), 2012, South-Western, Cengage
Learning.

Reference Books:
- Options, Futures, and Other Derivatives, 8e, John C. Hull.
-Quantitative Equity Portfolio Management, Ludwing, Daehwan, McGraw-Hill.

Additional Recommended Readings:


Students are encouraged to read financial publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times; Business Recorder to stay
abreast of developments related to this course.

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