Master
2024/2025
Alternative Investments
Type:
Elective course (Financial Analyst)
Area of studies:
Finance and Credit
Delivered by:
HSE Banking Institute
Where:
HSE Banking Institute
When:
2 year, 1 module
Mode of studies:
offline
Open to:
students of one campus
Instructors:
Vasily M. Solodkov
Master’s programme:
Financial Analyst
Language:
English
ECTS credits:
3
Course Syllabus
Abstract
Assets under management in vehicles classified as alternative investments have grown rapidly since the mid-1990s.This growth has largely occurred because of interest in these investments by institutions, such as endowment and pension funds, as well as by high-net worth individuals seeking diversification and return opportunities. Alternative investments are perceived to behave differently from traditional investments. Investors may seek either absolute return or relative return.Some investors hope alternative investments will provide positive returns throughout the economic cycle; this goal is an absolute return objective. Alternative investments are not free of risk, however, and their returns may be negative and/or correlated with other investments, including traditional investments, especially in periods of financial crisis. Some investors in alternative investments have a relative return objective. A relative return objective, which is often the objective of portfolios of traditional investment, seeks to achieve a return relative to an equity or a fixed-income benchmark.
Learning Objectives
- This course provides an overview of alternative investments for an institutional asset allocator or overseer of a portfolio containing both traditional and alternative assets. The student is assumed to have basic knowledge of investing in general and of traditional asset allocation in particular. The course is designed to build on the student’s existing knowledge by providing essential information about the characteristics, challenges, and purposes of alternative assets in the context of a well-diversified institutional portfolio
Expected Learning Outcomes
- Compare alternative investments with traditional investments
- Describe hedge funds, private equity, real estate, commodities, infrastructure, and other alternative investments, including, as applicable, strategies, sub-categories, potential benefits and risks, fee structures, and due diligence
- Describe potential benefits of alternative investments in the context of portfolio management
- Describe, calculate, and interpret management and incentive fees and net-of- fees returns to hedge funds
- Describe issues in calculating returns on hedge funds, private equity, real estate, commodities, and infrastructure
- Describe risk management of alternative investments
Course Contents
- Introduction
- Hedge Funds
- Private Capital
- Real Estate
- Natural Resources
- Infrastructure
- Other types of Alternative Investments
- Monitoring of investments
- Risk Management of Alternative Investments
- Introduction to Digital Assets
Assessment Elements
- Final Exam
- Homework
- Solving problems during seminars
- Class attendance and participation
Interim Assessment
- 2024/2025 1st module0.1 * Class attendance and participation + 0.6 * Final Exam + 0.1 * Homework + 0.2 * Solving problems during seminars
Bibliography
Recommended Core Bibliography
- CAIA Association, Donald R. Chambers, Hossein B. Kazemi, & Keith H. Black. (2020). Alternative Investments : An Allocator’s Approach. Wiley.
- D. Capocci. (2013). The Complete Guide to Hedge Funds and Hedge Fund Strategies. Palgrave Macmillan.
Recommended Additional Bibliography
- Bodie, Z., & Merton, R. C. (2012). Finance. Slovenia, Europe: Prentice Hall. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.854D85E7