Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit Convenor
Jennifer Gippel
Contact via jennifer.gippel@mq.edu.au
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Credit points |
Credit points
4
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
ACST603 or AFIN858 or admission to MCom or MIntBus or MEc or MActPrac prior to 2011
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
This unit provides an introduction to the fundamental concepts of investment analysis and their practical application. With an international approach, topics include selecting asset types for specific objectives, bond and stock valuation, asset allocation, the risk-return tradeoff, portfolio management, behavioural biases in investment decisions, and fundamental versus technical analysis. The materials covered encompass practical techniques as well as intellectual and academic issues in investment management.
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Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Name | Weighting | Due |
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Class test | 20% | Week 7 |
Final exam | 50% | To be announced |
Report | 25% | Weeks 10,11 & 12 |
Class participation | 5% | Weekly |
Due: Week 7
Weighting: 20%
The class test will cover the topics studied during weeks 1 to 5 inclusive. The test will be held in class in week 7. There will be no supplementary test. The weight of theclass test is 20% (or 0% for cases in which an application for special consideration is made and approved).
Students who do not sit for the class test will be awarded a mark of 0 for the class test, except for cases in which an application for special consideration is made and approved.
Due: To be announced
Weighting: 50%
The final exam will cover the topics studied throughout the semester. The final exam will be scheduled in the examination period. The weight of the final exam is 50% (or 75% for cases in which an application for special consideration is made and approved in relation to the mid-semester test).
Due: Weeks 10,11 & 12
Weighting: 25%
The research report is completed in groups of 4 or 5 students to develop communication and collaboration skills. Each group will analyse stocks and their issuing firms in an industry sector and prepare an investment recommendation. Details of the research report will be announced in class and posted on iLearn.
The main research report is due on Friday May 30 (end of week 11). Part A and C of the assignment are due in class in weeks 10 and 12 respectively. No extensions will be granted. Students who have not submitted the research report prior to the deadline will be awarded a mark of 0 for the research report, except for cases in which an application for special consideration is made and approved.
Due: Weekly
Weighting: 5%
Students are expected to read the chapters and articles in advance of class and to participate fully in all class discussions. In tutorials, students are expected to explain the approaches they took to answering the homework problems and ask questions to help improve understanding of the concepts.
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Students are required to enrol in one three-hour class per week and attend the class in which they are enrolled. These classes are scheduled as follows:
Monday, 3:00-6:00 p.m. in E5A 110
Tuesday, 6:00-9:00 p.m. in E5A 120
Thursday, 9:00- 12:00 noon in E5A 120
Classes will typically consist of a two-hour lecture followed by a one-hour tutorial. Lectures are used to set the scene and show how the topic fits into the overall unit of study aims. Tutorials are essential for helping you clarify any misunderstandings and apply concepts to more difficult problems. Participation is strongly encouraged for you to check your understanding of concepts.
The textbook for the unit is Bodie, Z., Kane, A. and Marcus, A.J. (2014), Investments, 10th edition, McGraw-Hill (denoted BKM on the reading list). Textbook material will be supplemented by articles and handouts. Chapters from the textbook and specified articles should be read prior to attending the scheduled lecture on that topic. Homework problems will be assigned at the end of lectures and these should be completed before coming to class the following week. Important handouts can be downloaded from the unit's iLearn site.
iLearn (https://ilearn.mq.edu.au) provides the main online learning support. It is essential that you log in at least twice per week to keep abreast of unit-wide announcements and use the resources to supplement your learning. Lecture slides are available by the Friday before each lecture for you to download from iLearn. Solutions to homework problems are made available online after the problems are discussed in class.
The multiple choice quizzes available with the textbook are a useful revision resource.
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Week |
Commencing |
Topic |
Readings |
1 |
March 3 | Course Overview & The Investment Process |
BKM Chapters 1, 2, 3 |
2 |
March 10 |
Risk Return & Historical data |
BKM chapter 5 |
3 |
March 17 |
Preferences, risky assets and building portfolios |
BKM chapter 6 & 7 |
4 |
March 24 | Index Models |
BKM chapter 8 |
5 |
March 31 |
CAPM and Extensions |
BKM chapter 9 |
6 |
April 7 |
APT and Multifactor models |
BKM chapter 10 |
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Mid semester break | ||
7 |
April 28 |
Mid-Semester Exam | |
8 |
May 5 | Industry Analysis & Financial Statement Analysis |
BKM chapter 17 & 19 |
9 |
May 19 |
Equity securities | BKM chapter 18 |
10 |
May 19 |
Fixed Income Securities |
BKM chapters 14 and 15 |
11 |
May 26 | The EMH, behavioural finance and technical analysis |
BKM chapters 11 & 12 |
12 |
June 2 |
Review |
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13 |
June 9 | Public Holiday (no lectures this week) |
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html
Assessment Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html
Grading Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html
Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html
Grievance Management Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grievance_management/policy.html
Disruption to Studies Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html The Disruption to Studies Policy is effective from March 3 2014 and replaces the Special Consideration Policy.
In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/
Supplementary exams for Faculty units in Session 2 2013 will be held between Tuesday 10th December and Friday 13th December 2013 (inclusive).
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
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Our postgraduates will be able to demonstrate a significantly enhanced depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content knowledge in their chosen fields.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our postgraduates will be capable of utilising and reflecting on prior knowledge and experience, of applying higher level critical thinking skills, and of integrating and synthesising learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments. A characteristic of this form of thinking is the generation of new, professionally oriented knowledge through personal or group-based critique of practice and theory.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our postgraduates will be able to communicate effectively and convey their views to different social, cultural, and professional audiences. They will be able to use a variety of technologically supported media to communicate with empathy using a range of written, spoken or visual formats.
This graduate capability is supported by:
This unit uses research from external sources (references will be given in lectures and tutorials and on the unit's iLearn site).
This unit gives you practice in applying research findings in the research report.