FINC 681: Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management

Prerequisites: MBA status or permission of the instructor

Credit Hours: (3)

Analyzes various investment instruments in terms of two elements they possess: risk and return.

Detailed Description of Content of Course

The Nature of Investments

• Investment Overview
• Investment Alternatives
• Markets

Investment Analysis

• Economic outlook analysis
• Industry Analysis
• Company Analysis

Marketable Financial Assets

• Treasury and Federal Agency Securities
• Corporate Securities
• Municipal Securities

Portfolio Theory and Management

• An Overview of Risk and Return
• Selection of an Optimal Portfolio
• Multiple Asset Portfolios

Developments in Speculative Markets

• New Products
• Coping with Changes in the Marketplace

Stock and Interest Options

• Fundamentals of Stock Options
• Advanced Option Strategies and Considerations
• Interest Rate Options

The Futures Markets

• Commodity Futures
• Interest Rate Futures
• Stock Index Futures
• Foreign Exchange Futures
• Gold and Silver Futures

Detailed Description of Conduct of Course

This course is a combination of lecture, paper presentation, and discussion.

Goals and Objectives of the Course

• identify various investment instruments offered in the financial market.
• identify various financial markets.
• -measure the risk/return of each individual security as well as a portfolio.
• construct an optimal portfolio given a set of financial assets.
• differentiate between technical and fundamental analyses in predicting the future performance of the market.
• predict relative performance for a given set of financial securities.

Assessment Measures

Graded assignments may include in-class tests, a final examination, pop quizzes, the assignment and presentation of problem exercises, papers, and class preparation and participation.

Other Course Information

Review and Approval

DATE ACTION APPROVED BY
March 1999 Revised