Investment Portfolio Management

2026/2027

Academic Year

ENG

Instruction in English

3

ECTS credits

Delivered at:

Department of Finance

Course type:

Elective course

When:

2 year, 1 module

Instructor

МакНайт Филлип Джон

Course Syllabus

Abstract

This course delivers an applied exploration of modern investment management, focusing on how to build, evaluate, and protect multi-asset portfolios across evolving economic cycles. Students master asset allocation, risk-adjusted performance, and the mechanics of equity valuation, market efficiency, and asset bubbles. The course expands into a tactical toolkit covering IPOs, private equity, cryptocurrencies, and the functional deployment of options, futures, and real options for risk hedging. The course finishes with students integrating these tools to build an All-Weather portfolio customized to fit specific client needs under all economic conditions.

Learning Objectives

• Understand the principles of asset allocation, risk-adjusted performance measurement, and equity valuation models.
• Analyze the relationship between market efficiency theories, asset bubbles, and technical timing strategies.
• Evaluate the risks, structures, and role of primary markets (IPOs), private equity, and cryptocurrencies in a modern portfolio.
• Comprehend the pricing, structures, and functions of options, futures, and real options.
• Learn how to use derivative-based hedging strategies to shield portfolios from market drops and tail-risks.
• Learn how to design the all-weather portfolio with the tools discussed above.

Expected Learning Outcomes

• Quantify and interpret portfolio risk, volatility, and risk-adjusted returns.
• Identify market bubbles and use equity valuation metrics to spot overvalued or undervalued assets.
• Determine when and how to allocate capital to private equity and crypto to capture alternative streams of return.
• Correctly match specific market risks with the appropriate derivative instrument to mitigate downside exposure.
• Evaluate how changing macroeconomic conditions and market cycles affect different asset classes simultaneously.
• Use the tools from above to successfully design and defend a customized all-weather portfolio that fits specific client needs.

Course Contents

• Portfolio Management, Asset Allocation, Risk and Performance
• Asset Bubbles, Equity Valuation, Technical Analysis and Timing the Market
• Market Efficiency and Initial Public Offerings (IPOs)
• Options, Futures and other Derivatives; Real Options
• Portfolio Hedging and Risk Mitigation
• Private Equity and Cryptocurrencies
• Designing the Perfect Portfolio

Assessment Elements

• Project
• Exam

Interim Assessment

• 2026/2027 1st module
  0.4 * Project + 0.6 * Exam

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

• Maginn, J. L. (2007). Managing Investment Portfolios : A Dynamic Process (Vol. 3rd ed). Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=188208

Recommended Additional Bibliography

• Dempsey, M. (2020). Investment Analysis : An Introduction to Portfolio Theory and Management. London: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=2278900

Authors

• Soloveva Ekaterina Evgenevna