Class Information

Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management Practicum
The TVA Investment Challenge

Instructor: Dr. Brad Jordan
425F B&E Building
257-4887 (VMX)
bjordan@uky.edu
Office hours: Anytime.
Class time: MW 12:30 - 1:45; B&E 214.

Description

FIN 490, Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management Practicum, gives students applied investments experience. Students manage a real-money equity portfolio currently worth over $600k, making all buy/sell decisions. A significant portion of the class consists of discussions about current and potential investments. Much time is spent outside of class researching investments.

Objectives The primary goal of the course is to give students a working knowledge of, and experience applying, the basic principles of value-oriented equity investing.

Admissions Space is limited to approximately 12 - 15 students per semester. Admission to the class is primarily by nomination from finance faculty.

Readings The required readings are:

1. Benjamin Graham, The Intelligent Investor: The Definitive Book on Value Investing, Revised edition with new commentary by Jason Zweig (HarperBusiness Essentials, 1973, 2003). Note: be sure to get this particular version (several different editions are available).
2. Pat Dorsey, The Five Rules for Successful Stock Investing (Wiley, 2004).
3. The Wall Street Journal, daily.

Note: These books are not textbooks (they are “trade” books). Both can be purchased quite cheaply on Amazon. I will pass around a signup for WSJ.

Grades

There are no exams. Each student will be directly responsible for managing several positions and providing the group with ongoing research and reports on those positions. Students also participate in group buy/sell decisions regarding their positions. Grades will be based on (1) the quality of the research done by the student and (2) the contributions made to group discussions. Assessment of these two activities will be done both by me and student peers. In addition, all students must complete Bloomberg certification in the equities area (details and schedule to come), and the class must collectively finish building a valuation model (details to come).