The objective of this course is to familiarise students with the seminal and contemporary literature on selected topics in theoretical, empirical and applied finance as it relates to investment analysis. The material and structure of the course is designed to provide students with an advanced understanding of investment decision making. The course is directed at postgraduate and honours students and is designed for students wishing to pursue higher level studies or a career relating to investment analysis and decision making. The course material builds on undergraduate studies in the area of investments. The material is heavily orientated to research issues and their practical problems.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Demonstrate an in-depth understanding of investment theories and practice;
2. Derive classical asset pricing models and perform basic empirical tests of the models;
3. Utilize asset pricing models for investment analysis, such as performance measurement, return predictability and event analysis;
4. Analyse and explain limitations of these models in relation to real world investment situations; and
5. Work in teams in solving complex problems relating to investment analysis.

Research-Led Teaching

Textbook material will be supplemented with the most recent information from relevant news and research. A large part of this course is learning by doing.

Recommended Resources

No prescribed (required) text.

Recommended reading: Asset Pricing (Revised Edition), by John H. Cochrane. This book is available in the ANU Library and has been requested to be put in the 2-hour loan.

The lecturer will provide access to the relevant chapters of the recommended readings on Wattle.  

The lecturer will make any supplemental readings available on Wattle.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• Verbal (common and individual) comments on the assessment of online test and homework assignment are to be provided remotely (online) during office hours.

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Other Information

Assessment Requirements

As a further academic integrity control, students may be selected for a 15 minute individual oral examination of their written assessment submissions. Any student identified, either during the current semester or in retrospect, as having used ghost writing services will be investigated under the University’s Academic Misconduct Rule.

Scaling

Your final mark for the course will be based on the raw marks allocated for each of your assessment items. However, your final mark may not be the same number as produced by that formula, as marks may be scaled. Any scaling applied will preserve the rank order of raw marks (i.e. if your raw mark exceeds that of another student, then your scaled mark will exceed the scaled mark of that student), and may be either up or down.

Communication

Students should contact the lecturer via email at alexander.vadilyev@anu.edu.au.

If necessary, the lecturer for this course will contact students on their official ANU student email address. Students are expected to check the Wattle site for announcements about this course, e.g. changes to timetables or notifications of cancellations. Notifications of emergency cancellations of lectures will be posted on the door of the relevant room.

Support for Students

The University offers a number of support services for students. Information on these is available online from http://students.anu.edu.au/studentlife

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Predictability of Prices and Market Efficiency
2	Decision Making Under Uncertainty
3	Portfolio Selection: the Mean-Variance Model
4	The Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) (1)	Test
5	The Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) (2)
6	Arbitrage
7	Factor Models and the Arbitrage Pricing Theory (APT)
8	Empirical Tests of the CAPM and APT (1)
9	Empirical Tests of the CAPM and APT (2)	Assignment
10	Present Value Relationship and Price Variability
11	Intertemporal Choice and the Equity Premium Puzzle (1)
12	Intertemporal Choice and the Equity Premium Puzzle (2)

Tutorial Registration

The course has no formal tutorials but drop-in sessions (consultations) in a hybrid format.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Test	10 %	15/03/2021	22/03/2021	1,2,3,4
Assignment	30 %	10/05/2021	24/05/2021	1,3,4,5
Final examination	60 %	03/06/2021	01/07/2021	1,2,3,4

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information 
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the Academic Integrity . In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

The lecture and workshop will be recorded and released via ECHO360 as per the schedule. Drop-in Q&A sessions will be delivered in a hybrid format: on-campus and live through scheduled Zoom sessions. A teaching assistant/tutor will run the drop-in Q&A sessions on campus. A lecturer will run off-campus live Q&A sessions in Zoom.

Examination(s)

Centrally scheduled examinations through Examinations, Graduations & Prizes will be timetabled prior to the examination period. Please check ANU Timetabling for further information.

Assessment Task 1

Test

• The online test will be a closed-book test, with no formula sheet provided. Students will sit the test remotely. The test will be 40 minutes in length (plus additional 10 minutes to submit the solution). ?The test is compulsory.
• The test will comprise a mixture of theory questions relating to materials covered in Weeks (1) to (3) and will count towards 10% of students’ final course grade.
• The Wattle-based test will be held in Week 4 (the class schedule to be confirmed yet). The results will be aimed to return in Week 5. 
• Further details of the test structure will be provided via the Wattle announcement by the end of Week 3.

Assessment Task 2

Assignment

• This is a homework assignment. Students have at least three weeks to complete the assignment. The details will be provided by the end of Week 4. Further details of the report requirements and structure will be provided in the on-line recordings.
• The assignment can be undertaken individually or in groups of a maximum of 3 students. Students have to form their groups or undertake the assignment individually.
• The assignment comprises of two parts: (1) writing of a critique/referee report on an assigned empirical paper and (2) writing of a critique/referee report on an assigned theoretical paper. Both papers are in the field of asset pricing/investments.
• The assignment will be submitted using Turnitin in Week 9 (the class schedule to be confirmed yet), and the results will be returned in Week 11.
• The assignment is designed to improve students’ critical and analytical skills.
• Students are required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of the assignment. Students should keep a copy of the assignment for their records.
• The assignment is compulsory and counts towards 30% of students’ final grades for the course.
• Late submissions of assignments are not accepted. Students will receive a mark of zero for the assignment if submitted after the due date and time.
• All students must adhere to the required social distancing requirements, e.g., using Zoom or Skype meetings, etc.

Assessment Task 3

Final examination

• The final exam will be an open-book test. Students will sit the exam remotely. The exam will be 3 hours in length, with an additional 15 minutes of reading time. The final exam is compulsory;
• The exam will comprise a mixture of theory and empirical questions relating to materials covered throughout the semester and will count towards 60% of students’ final course grade;
• The final examination will be held in the exam period, with details to be advised no later than teaching Week 10 of the semester.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically, committing to honest and responsible scholarly practice and upholding these values with respect and fairness.

The ANU commits to assisting all members of our community to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle and Academic Misconduct Rule, uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with.

The Academic Misconduct Rule is in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Very minor breaches of the academic integrity principle may result in a reduction of marks of up to 10% of the total marks available for the assessment. The ANU offers a number of online and in person services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. Visit the Academic Skills website for more information about academic integrity, your responsibilities and for assistance with your assignments, writing skills and study.

Online Submission

Assignments may be submitted by just one member of the group, but must include a completed cover sheet clearly identifying all members of the group. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) all submission must be through Turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

There is no hardcopy submission in the course. If given exemption to submit in hard copy by the Associate Dean (Education), you will be required to submit your assignment report (and copies of all references included in the assignment report) in hard copy by the due date. All submitted hard copy assignments must include a completed cover sheet clearly identifying all members of your group. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records.

Late Submission

Late submissions of assignments are not accepted. Students will receive a mark of zero for the assignment if it is submitted after the due date and time.

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Returning Assignments

The graded assignments will be returned to students in Week 11.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Resubmission of Assignments

No resubmission of assignments is permitted.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students