BEX3131 · Fundamentals of investment strategy

Overview

This unit provides you with a unique opportunity to learn about the basics of investment management from leading local and international investment professionals. The course has a practical focus, providing knowledge and insights about the complexities of investment markets and superannuation. The unit aims to help you build a strong base of knowledge and confidence around personal investment and to develop your own investment philosophy – a set of principles guiding their understanding of investment and financial markets. While primarily designed for students interested in managing their own investments, the unit also offers significant value for those students aiming for careers as investment and financial professionals. Upon completing the unit, you will develop practical life skills in investment management and emerge with extensive theoretical and practical knowledge across the main facets of investment in financial markets, which cannot be gathered from current textbook-based units. Through a combination of case study evaluation, lectures, and discussion with investment practitioners, you will acquire a broad understanding of capital markets, asset classes (stocks, bonds, credit, real estate, private equity, commodities, digital assets etc.), investing styles, and instruments (active and index investing, value and growth investing, activism, ESG investing, tail risk hedging, futures and swaps, etc.). The unit will also cover investing from the perspective of an asset owner, teaching modern practices in portfolio construction for personal and institutional investors and risk management.

Offerings

Assessment

The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Requisites

Learning outcomes

1. develop • your own investment philosophy • an investment strategy aligned with your personal investment goals
2. understand • the practical sides of different investment strategies • simple and effective ways to manage risks and returns • how to transform this knowledge into practice • the challenges investors face
3. improve • your skill of critical thinking and problem-solving • communication skills

Workload

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. Independent study may include associated readings, assessment and preparation for scheduled activities. You are expected to complete all pre-class activities prior to your scheduled class, and post-class activities should be completed after your scheduled class. Learning activities may include a combination of teacher directed, peer directed and online engagement activities.

Student experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.