About this course: When an investor is faced with a portfolio choice problem, the number of possible assets and the various combinations and proportions in which each can be held can seem overwhelming. In this course, you’ll learn the basic principles underlying optimal portfolio construction, diversification, and risk management. You’ll start by acquiring the tools to characterize an investor’s risk and return trade-off. You will next analyze how a portfolio choice problem can be structured and learn how to solve for and implement the optimal portfolio solution. Finally, you will learn about the main pricing models for equilibrium asset prices. Learners will: • Develop risk and return measures for portfolio of assets • Understand the main insights from modern portfolio theory based on diversification • Describe and identify efficient portfolios that manage risk effectively • Solve for portfolio with the best risk-return trade-offs • Understand how risk preference drive optimal asset allocation decisions • Describe and use equilibrium asset pricing models.
Who is this class for: While each course in this Specialization can be viewed as self-contained, starting with fundamentals, some background in business and finance and familiarity with basic statistical concepts is recommended. It is most appropriate for working professionals interested in asset management in their careers, or for individuals either preparing for advanced degrees in finance and economics, or looking to acquire the knowledge and tools in order to establish a portfolio that fits their needs and goals and improve their personal investment performance.
Created by: Rice University
Taught by: Arzu Ozoguz, Finance Faculty
Jones Graduate School of Business
| Basic Info | Course 2 of 5 in the Investment and Portfolio Management Specialization |
| Commitment | 5 weeks |
| Language | English |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
Module 1- Introduction & Risk and Return
This module introduces the second course in the Investment and Portfolio Management Specialization. In this module, we discuss one of the main principles of investing: the risk-return trade-off, the idea that in competitive security markets, higher expected returns come only at a price – the need to bear greater risk. We develop statistical measures of risk and expected return and review the historical record on risk-return patterns across various asset classes.
10 videos, 11 readings, 2 practice quizzes
- Video: Introduction & Welcome to class
- Reading: Grading Policy
- Reading: How to use discussion forums
- Reading: Meet & Greet: Get to know your classmates
- Reading: Pre-Course Survey
- Video: Overview – No free lunches! Risk and return trade-off
- Video: Measuring returns: Geometric average returns
- Video: Measuring returns: Arithmetic average returns
- Reading: Lecture handouts: Risk and return: Measuring returns
- Practice Quiz: Risk and return: Measuring returns
- Reading: Risk and return: Measuring returns Quiz Solutions
- Video: Measuring risk: Volatility of returns
- Video: Alternative measures of risk
- Video: More on measuring risk and risk measures
- Reading: Lecture handouts: Risk and return: Measuring risk
- Practice Quiz: Risk & Return: Measuring risk
- Reading: Risk & Return: Measuring risk Quiz solutions
- Video: Measuring risk and return: Illustration with four stocks
- Video: Historical record on risk-return patterns
- Reading: Lecture handouts: Risk and return: Historical record
- Reading: Investing: Stocks for the long run (optional)
- Video: Summary
- Reading: Module 1: Risk & Return Solutions
Graded: Measuring risk and return
Graded: Module 1: Risk & Return
WEEK 2
Module 2: Portfolio construction and diversification
In this module, we build on the tools from the previous module to develop measure of portfolio risk and return. We define and distinguish between the different sources of risk and discuss the concept of diversification: how and why putting risky assets together in a portfolio eliminates risk that yields a portfolio with less risk than its components. Finally, we review the quantitative tools that help us identify the ‘best’ portfolios with the least risk for a given level of expected return by considering a numerical example using international equity data.
16 videos, 12 readings, 3 practice quizzes
- Video: Introduction: Measuring portfolio risk and return
- Video: Measuring the expected return of a portfolio
- Reading: Lecture handouts: Measuring portfolio expected return
- Practice Quiz: Measuring expected portfolio return
- Reading: Measuring expected portfolio return Quiz solutions
- Video: Let’s review how we measure risk for a single asset
- Video: Finding the volatility of a portfolio return
- Video: Portfolio volatility: Another example
- Video: Measuring the co-movement between securities
- Video: Putting it all together… portfolio risk and diversification
- Reading: Lecture handouts: Measuring portfolio volatility
- Practice Quiz: Measuring portfolio volatility
- Reading: Measuring portfolio volatility Quiz solutions
- Video: Diversification and portfolio risk
- Video: Diversification: A graphical illustration with two assets
- Video: Diversification: A graphical illustration with three assets
- Video: Diversification: Systematic risk and idiosyncratic risk
- Video: Diversification: An illustration from international equity markets (US and Japan only)
- Reading: Accompanying spreadsheets for "Diversification: An illustration from international equity markets (US and Japan only)"
- Reading: A Note on using EXCEL Solver
- Video: Mean-variance frontier and efficient portfolios: International equity investment example (G5 countries)
- Reading: Lecture handouts: Diversification and portfolio risk
- Reading: Lecture handouts: Mean-variance frontier and efficient portfolios: International equity investment example
- Practice Quiz: Diversification and portfolio risk
- Reading: Diversification and portfolio risk Quiz solutions
- Discussion Prompt: Should you add emerging markets equities to your portfolio?
- Reading: Equity investing: Globalization and diversification (optional)
- Video: Are you diversified adequately?
- Video: Mean-variance portfolio analysis
- Video: Summary
- Reading: Lecture handouts: Are you adequately diversified?
- Reading: Module 2: Portfolio construction and diversification- Solutions
Graded: Measuring portfolio returns and volatility
Graded: Constructing mean-variance frontier for two risky assets
Graded: Module 2: Portfolio construction and diversification
WEEK 3
Module 3: Mean-variance preferences
In this module, we describe how investors make choices. Specifically, we look at how utility functions are used to express preferences. We review measures to describe investors’ attitude towards risk. Finally, we discuss how we can summarize investors’ preferences using a specific utility function: mean-variance preferences.
7 videos, 7 readings, 2 practice quizzes
- Video: Introduction
- Video: Preferences: Utility functions
- Video: Risk aversion
- Reading: Lecture handouts: Utility and risk aversion
- Reading: A note on measuring risk aversion and certainty equivalent
- Practice Quiz: Utility and risk aversion
- Reading: Utility and Risk aversion Quiz solutions
- Video: Expected utility
- Video: Mean-variance preferences
- Video: Portfolio choice problem with mean-variance preferences: A graphical illustration with equity and bond data
- Reading: Lecture handouts: Mean-variance preferences
- Practice Quiz: Portfolio choice with mean-variance preferences
- Reading: Portfolio choice with mean-variance preferences quiz solutions
- Video: Summary
- Reading: Measure your own risk tolerance
- Reading: Module 3: Mean-variance preferences- Solutions
Graded: Module 3: Mean-variance preferences
WEEK 4
Module 4: Optimal capital allocation and portfolio choice
In this module, you will learn about mean-variance optimization: how to make optimal capital allocation and portfolio choice decisions when investors have mean-variance preferences. This was one of the ground-breaking ideas in finance. We will formally set up the investor’s portfolio choice problem and learn step-by-step how to solve for the optimal allocation and risky portfolio choice given a set of risky securities. You will also have an opportunity to apply these techniques to a numerical example. This module is slightly more technical than the others. Stick with it… you will not regret it!
10 videos, 12 readings, 1 practice quiz
- Video: Introduction
- Video: Capital allocation line
- Video: Solving for the optimal capital allocation
- Video: Optimal capital allocation example: U.S. equities and Treasuries
- Reading: A note on optimal capital allocation
- Reading: Accompanying spreadsheets for "Optimal Capital Allocation Example: US Equities and Treasuries"
- Reading: Lecture handouts: Mean-variance optimization
- Practice Quiz: Mean-variance optimization
- Reading: Mean-variance optimization Quiz solutions
- Video: Finding the optimal risky portfolio: Maximizing the Sharpe ratio
- Video: Main insight: The optimal risky portfolio is independent of preferences
- Reading: Analytical solution to MVE portfolio (two risky assets)
- Reading: A note on finding the mean variance efficient portfolio (Two risky assets)
- Reading: Accompanying spreadsheets for "Finding the optimal risky portfolio: Maximizing the Sharpe ratio"
- Video: Finding the optimal risk portfolio when you have multiple risky securities
- Reading: A note on finding the minimum variance frontier with multiple risky assets
- Reading: Accompanying spreadsheet for finding minimum variance frontier with multiple risky assets
- Reading: Lecture handouts: Optimal risky portfolio choice
- Video: Investment decision process
- Video: What’s wrong with mean-variance portfolio analysis?
- Video: Summary
- Reading: Lecture handouts
- Reading: Optimal capital allocation and portfolio choice- Solutions
Graded: Optimal asset allocation and portfolio choice
Graded: Optimal capital allocation and portfolio choice
WEEK 5
Module 5: Equilibrium asset pricing models
In this module, we build on the insights obtained from modern portfolio theory to understand how risk and return are related in equilibrium. We first look at the main workhorse model in finance, the Capital Asset Pricing Model and discuss the expected return-beta relationship. We then turn our attention to multi-factor models, such as the Fama-French three-factor model.
9 videos, 7 readings, 1 practice quiz
- Video: Introduction
- Video: From optimal portfolio choice to asset pricing models
- Video: Insight #1 from Capital Asset Pricing Model: Passive investing is efficient
- Video: Insight #2 from Capital Asset Pricing Model: What determines the market risk premium?
- Video: Beta and systematic risk
- Video: Capital Asset Pricing Model: Expected return-beta relationship
- Reading: Lecture handouts: Equilibrium asset pricing models: Capital Asset Pricing Model
- Reading: "The parable of money managers" (optional)
- Reading: "The dying business of stock picking" WSJ (optional)
- Practice Quiz: Equilibrium asset pricing models: Capital Asset Pricing Model
- Reading: Equilibrium asset pricing models: Capital Asset Pricing Model Quiz solutions
- Video: Multi-factor models
- Video: Fama-French three-factor model
- Reading: Lecture handouts: Equilibrium asset pricing models: Multi-factor models
- Video: Summary
- Reading: Module 5 Quiz: Equilibrium asset pricing models- Solutions
- Reading: End-of-Course Survey
Graded: Module 5 Quiz: Equilibrium asset pricing models
FAQs
How It Works
Coursework
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Rice University
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Pricing
| Audit | Purchase Course | |
|---|---|---|
| Access to course materials | Available | Available |
| Access to graded materials | Not available | Available |
| Receive a final grade | Not available | Available |
| Earn a shareable Course Certificate | Not available | Available |
Ratings and Reviews
The course is quite intense if you are not familiar with the subject, however I think it is very well explained by the lecturer. The peer assignments and quizzes provide excellent ways to test your knowledge on real examples.
The course is great. It was very tough but a nice experience for me.
Hey its great
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MB
The quizzes and exams are inconsistent in how hard they are. Some are incredibly easy and then some are very hard, with concepts that go beyond the lectures. The pop-up quizzes are usually pretty easy, but when a number is required for an answer, I couldn't always get the correct answer and that's frustrating.