About this course: In this course, you will learn about the famous dichotomy between active and passive investing, how to appropriately measure and analyze investment performance and what the future trends in the investment management industry are. You will first learn about absolute and relative performance, risk-adjusted returns and how to decompose investment performance. The focus will then shift to the two main categories of investment vehicles, active and passive funds, and what they entail in terms of expected performance. Finally, you will explore the worlds of sustainable finance, neurofinance and fintech, three areas of research that will shape the future of the investment management industry. You will also benefit from the insights of experts from UBS, our corporate partner, on the practical implementation of the various concepts we will develop in this course.

Created by: University of Geneva

Taught by: University of Geneva- Tony Berrada, SFI Associate Professor of Finance
Geneva Finance Research Institute
Taught by: University of Geneva- Ines Chaieb, SFI Associate Professor of Finance
Geneva Finance Research Institute
Taught by: University of Geneva- Jonas Demaurex, Teaching Assistant
Geneva Finance Research Institute
Taught by: University of Geneva- Rajna Gibson Brandon, SFI Senior Chaired Professor of Finance and Managing Director of the GFRI
Geneva Finance Research Institute
Taught by: University of Geneva- Michel Girardin, Lecturer in Macro-Finance - Project Leader for the "Investment Management" specialization
Geneva Finance Research Institute
Taught by: University of Geneva- Philipp Krueger, SFI Assistant Professor of Finance
Geneva Finance Research Institute
Taught by: University of Geneva- Kerstin Preuschoff, Associate Professor of Neurofinance and Neuroeconomics
Geneva Finance Research Institute
Taught by: University of Geneva- Olivier Scaillet, SFI Senior Chaired Professor of Finance and Vice-dean (research) at GSEM
Geneva Finance Research Institute
Taught by: University of Geneva- Philip Valta, SFI Assistant Professor of Finance
Geneva Finance Research Institute

Basic Info	Course 4 of 5 in the Investment Management Specialization.
Commitment	4 weeks of study, 1-3 hours/week
Language	English
How To Pass	Pass all graded assignments to complete the course.
User Ratings	4.7 stars Average User Rating 4.7See what learners said

Syllabus

WEEK 1

General Introduction and Key Concepts

Welcome to the course and this introductory module! After reviewing some mistakes you will no longer make after following this course and some useful things to know before the course, we will dive into one of the main topics of this course: the active versus passive investment management debate.

9 videos, 1 reading

Video: Why you should choose this course
Video: Some common mistakes you will no longer make after this course - Performance
Video: Some common mistakes you will no longer make after this course - Selling
Video: What is useful to know before this course?
Video: Some products you will master when you next meet your bank advisor - Mutual funds
Video: Some products you will master when you next meet your bank advisor - Closed-end funds
Reading: Glossary
Video: Introduction to active versus passive management - Definitions
Video: Introduction to active versus passive management - Passive
Video: Introduction to active versus passive management - Active
Discussion Prompt: Would you favor active over passive management?

Graded: Graded quiz on the content of Week 1

WEEK 2

Assessing Performance

Welcome to the second module of the course! Here, we will start by talking about absolute versus relative performance and mandates. The second topic of this module will be performance measurement using risk-adjusted performance ratios but also asset pricing models. Finally, we will see how to decompose and attribute performance between the different types of investment decisions undertaken by fund managers.

10 videos

Video: What you will learn in this Module
Video: Choosing the right benchmark - UBS guest speaker
Video: Shifting from relative to absolute return mandates
Discussion Prompt: Would you rather opt for an absolute or a relative return mandate?
Video: The Sharpe, Treynor and Sortino ratios - Sharpe
Video: The Sharpe, Treynor and Sortino ratios - Treynor and Sortino
Video: Tracking Error - UBS guest speaker
Video: Using asset pricing models to estimate fund performance
Video: Defining performance analysis - UBS guest speaker
Video: Performance attribution - Introduction
Video: Performance attribution - Example

Graded: Graded quiz on the content of Week 2

WEEK 3

Investment Vehicles

Welcome to the third module of the course! In this module, we will explore the worlds of active and passive funds and try to address whether or not active fund management provides added value to a portfolio. But before doing so, we will see how to choose the best investment vehicles among both active and passive funds. The module ends with a discussion with our corporate partner on topics that often divides the world of finance between academia on one side and practitioners on the other.

12 videos

Video: What you will learn in this module
Video: Dimensions in ETF selection - UBS guest speaker
Video: Beating the benchmark or the peer group? - Peer group analysis
Video: Beating the benchmark or the peer group? - Screening criteria
Video: The information ratio says it all
Video: What are the pros and cons of a structured product?
Video: Searching for hedge fund alpha: lessons from academia - Asset pricing model
Video: Searching for hedge fund alpha: lessons from academia - Evidence
Video: Do active funds really outperform passive funds? - Preliminaries
Video: Do active funds really outperform passive funds? - Evidence
Video: Active versus passive management - UNIGE & UBS Discussion - Part 1
Video: Active versus passive management - UNIGE & UBS Discussion - Part 2
Discussion Prompt: What is your main takeaway from the active versus passive discussion?

Graded: Graded quiz on the content of Week 3

WEEK 4

Future Trends

Welcome to the fourth and last module of the course! This module is dedicated to future trends in investment management that are already starting to change how we think about and apply some of the ideas presented in the specialization. We will start with sustainable investing: defining it, examining its value proposition and see how it can be implemented in the context of a widely diversified portfolio. We will then take a quick look at what neurofinance is and how it can help us make better investment decisions. Finally, we will leave you with some insights as to how fintech (i.e. information technology solutions applied to finance) is likely to shape the future of the investment management industry.

12 videos

Video: What you will learn in this Module
Video: Corporate sustainability and sustainable investing
Video: Sustainable investing: exclusion, impact investing & integration - UBS guest speaker
Video: Does sustainable investing perform in line with traditional investing? - Theoretical arguments
Video: Does sustainable investing perform in line with traditional investing? - Evidence
Video: Climate change and capital markets - Introduction
Video: Climate change and capital markets - Methodology
Discussion Prompt: How important is sustainable investing to you?
Video: What is Neurofinance?
Video: Understanding brain activity for better investment decisions
Video: Can business analytics (Big Data) improve the value-added of TAA?
Video: Using a Robo-advisor to better shape the SAA
Video: Specialization Outro

Graded: Graded quiz on the content of Week 4

FAQs

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Creators

University of Geneva

Founded in 1559, the University of Geneva (UNIGE) is one of Europe's leading universities. Devoted to research, education and dialogue, the UNIGE shares the international calling of its host city, Geneva, a centre of international and multicultural activities with a venerable cosmopolitan tradition.

Pricing

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Access to course materials	Available	Available
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Ratings and Reviews

Rated 4.7 out of 5 of 233 ratings

Excellent walk through of the current Major developments in the

Necessary to have completed previous courses from the University of Geneva to make the most of this course (or at least have some previous exposure to finance). Out of all the courses in the Specialisation in Financial Markets, maybe the least valid course. Still excellent material, but more in the sense of introducing the hottest trends rather than exploring them in any depth.

Wonderful learning experience. Worth the time and effort.

Fantastic! Greatly enjoyed the course, especially the module on "Assessing Performance". And of course Michel's animals!

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Securing Investment Returns in the Long Run

Securing Investment Returns in the Long Run

Securing Investment Returns in the Long Run