...Integrated Case study AN ANALYSIS OF THE CASE MAN GROUP (A) January 2013 Integrated Case Study: Man Group (A) Contents Page Acknowledgements Executive Summary Chapter 1: Introduction 1 Chapter 2: Case brief 4 Chapter 3: Problem statement and Analysis 8 3.1 Problem statement for Man Group Plc (A) 3.2 Literature review 3.3 Proposed plan of analysis 3.4 Sources of data Chapter 4: Analysis and Findings 22 An assessment of the current position Chapter 5: Proposed solution to Problems 29 5.1 Integrated discussion of the analysis 5.2 Recommendations 5.3 Proposed plan of action 5.4 Limitations of the study, scope for further research Chapter 6: Application to another case 35 6.1 Background 6.2 Description of the comparator company’s situation 6.3 Testing the recommendations on the comparator company Appendices References Word count: 11,980 Acknowledgements My sincere regards and gratitude goes to Almighty God who gave me strength and will to complete my studies successfully. I give my deepest regards to my supervisor Dr. K. Vijay Shenai for his guidance, support and dedication towards all his students. I extend my regards to all my friends who supported me through my studies and were of immense help to me. My warm regards and love for my parents who have always been an inspiration to me and have always supported me throughout my studies, this would...
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...Do Hedge Funds Have Enough Capital? A Value-at-Risk Approach * Anurag Gupta† Bing Liang‡ April 2004 ____________________________________ *We thank Stephen Brown, Sanjiv Das, Will Goetzmann, David Hseih, Kasturi Rangan, Peter Ritchken, Bill Sharpe, Ajai Singh, Jack Treynor, and two anonymous referees for comments and suggestions on earlier drafts, and the seminar participants at Case Western Reserve University, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Virginia Tech., the 2003 European Finance Association Meetings in Glasgow, the 2003 Western Finance Association Meetings in Los Cabos, the 2003 QGroup fall seminar in Scottsdale, the 2001 FMA European Meetings in Paris, and the 2001 FMA meetings in Toronto. Bing Liang acknowledges a summer research grant from the Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University. We also thank TASS Management Limited for providing the data. We remain responsible for all errors. †Department of Banking and Finance, Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106. Phone: (216) 368-2938, Fax: (216) 368-6249, E-mail: anurag.gupta@case.edu. ‡Department of Finance and Operations Management, Isenberg School of Management, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003. Phone: (413) 545-3180, Fax: (413) 545-3858, E-mail: bliang@som.umass.edu. Do Hedge Funds Have Enough Capital? A Value-at-Risk Approach Abstract We examine the risk characteristics and capital adequacy of hedge funds through...
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...Hedge Funds Case Study in Ming Teng's course Hedge Funds, an industry that has experienced rapid growth since mid-1990s, control $2 trillion of investable assets, the number more than a quarter of total mutual funds’ assets, making hedge funds a growing influential power today. Institutional and private investors invest in hedge funds because they expect that hedge funds are more likely to produce higher return compared with traditional investment vehicles, such as mutual funds. More important, hedge funds pursue absolute return. Compared with benchmarking method, absolute return is critical for institutional investors that publish financial statements quarterly or yearly, particularly under low interest rate environment. Hedge funds can make money by deploying certain strategies, such as Long/ Short Equity (Appendix 1). To make their strategies successful, hedge funds must possess greater capabilities in the field they choose. For example, research is critical to know the fair value of a company’s stock, and hedge funds must invest heavily on related experts. Hedge funds are much more flexible compared with mutual funds. Hedge funds can have long or short position, and some hedge funds are highly leveraged (Appendix 2). On the other hand, information for hedge is often obscure, and investors must be very very cautious about the integrity of the hedge fund company. (Madoff Ponzi scheme) Management fee structure certainly affects the performance of a hedge fund...
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...Gregory Connor and Mason Woo An Introduction to Hedge Funds Introductory Guide 1 Introduction International Asset Management (‘IAM’) is the proud sponsor of the IAM Hedge Fund Research Programme of the Financial Markets Group. Within this programme the LSE team undertakes independent research into aspects of the hedge fund industry. It is hoped that the results of this research will give greater understanding about this growing area of financial innovation. This research paper gives a broad introduction to the hedge fund industry, the historical background to the evolution of hedge funds, the fund of funds industry and provides an explanation of some of the terminology used within this area. As an overview of the industry the document does not attempt to address the use of hedge funds within the broader context of portfolio management such as organisational risk or other areas of concern for the investor. This is a nontechnical paper and as such is intended for students or practitioners seeking a general introduction and reference tool. It is not a survey of the research literature and citations are kept to a minimum. If you wish to keep updated on the IAM Hedge Fund Research Programme please let us know. If you have any questions please contact IAM at our London office or visit our website: 34 Sackville Street London W1S 3EF Tel. +44 (0)20 7734 8488 www.iam.uk.com For information about the research activities of the Financial Markets Group see the following page...
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...2009 Abstract This study explores which asset classes add value to a traditional portfolio of stocks, bonds and cash. Next, we determine the optimal weights of all asset classes in the optimal portfolio. This study adds to the literature by distinguishing ten different investment categories simultaneously in a mean-variance analysis as well as a market portfolio approach. We also demonstrate how to combine these two methods. Our results suggest that real estate, commodities and high yield add most value to the traditional asset mix. A study with such a broad coverage of asset classes has not been conducted before, not in the context of determining capital market expectations and performing a mean-variance analysis, neither in assessing the global market portfolio. JEL classification: G11, G12 Key words: strategic asset allocation, capital market expectations, mean-variance analysis, optimal portfolio, global market portfolio. This study has benefited from the support and practical comments provided by Jeroen Beimer, Léon Cornelissen, Lex Hoogduin, Menno Meekel, Léon Muller, Laurens Swinkels and Pim van Vliet. Special thanks go to Jeroen Blokland and Rolf Hermans for many extensive and valuable discussions. We thank Peter Hobbs for providing the detailed segmentation of the global real estate market that supplemented his research paper. Last, but not least, we thank Frank de Jong for his constructive comments and useful suggestions during this study. * Corresponding author...
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...It would combine theory and practice. To buttress our understanding of practice, we would do some case studies and also have practitioners give a Street Talk every week; some of them may discuss live projects and I may pitch in with my experience with past ones I have been directly involved in. Moreover, we would have both qualitative and quantitative discussions on most topics, the latter mainly being numerical examples (not any rocket science or high-flying calculus). Though we would talk about the global scenario, our focus, whenever possible, would be on Asia. After gaining an idea into what IB is and understanding the basics of Trading, we would study in detail the capital-raising process, mainly Underwriting and Syndication. Here, we would learn about IPO and SEO and ADR and GDR as well as about NIF and RUF. We would also get familiar with Euromarket and the innovative Euro instruments like Euronote and Euro-CP as well as Eurobond and Euroequity. This would also give an opportunity to get a glimpse into Financial Engineering in debt and equity instruments as well as about Structured Financing. We would then talk about MADS (merger, acquisition, divestiture, and spinoff) and learn how to evaluate them. Wealth Management and Mutual Fund would commence one of our focus areas, and, here, we would learn how an AMC works. This would lead to an insight into Hedge Funds and Private Equity. In that light, we would also talk about LBOs and LBO valuation. Project Financing...
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...Case Study Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi Scheme: Reliable Returns from a Trustworthy Financial Adviser By Denis Collins Denis Collins is a professor of management in the School of Business at Edgewood College in Madison, Wisconsin. His research interests include business ethics, management, and organizational change. Contact: dcollins@ edgewood.edu A [person] is incapable of comprehending any argument that interferes with his revenue. Rene Descartes Overview This case study is a chronology of the largest Ponzi scheme in history. Bernie Madoff began his brokerage firm in 1960 and grew it into one of the largest on Wall Street. While doing so, he began investing money as a favor to family and friends, though he was not licensed to do so. Over a period of fifty years, these side investments became an investment fund that mushroomed into a $50 billion Ponzi scheme. Bernie1 pled guilty without a trial on March 12, 2009, and was sentenced to 150 years in prison. Thousands of wealthy clients, philanthropic organizations, and middle-class people whose pension funds found their way into Bernie’s investment fund lost their life savings. What to Do? Bernie Madoff, at age 69, owned three very successful financial companies—a brokerage firm, a proprietary trading firm, and an investment advisory firm. On December 10, 2008, the brokerage and proprietary trading firms, managed by his brother and two sons, were performing as well as could be expected in the middle of a deep recession. His investment...
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................................. 2 Errata Sheet................................................................................................................................................. 2 The Level II Examination and Completion of the Program ................................................................... 3 Topic 1: Professional Standards and Ethics ......................................................................................... 4 Topic 2: Introduction to Alternative Investments................................................................................ 6 Topic 3: Real Assets .............................................................................................................................. 20 Topic 4: Hedge Funds ........................................................................................................................... 29 Topic 5: Commodities ........................................................................................................................... 48 Topic 6: Private Equity ........................................................................................................................ 54 Topic 7: Structured Products .............................................................................................................. 64 Topic 8:...
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...Hohenheim D-70593 Stuttgart, Germany †WHU — Otto Beisheim School of Management D-56179 Vallendar, Germany ‡c.koziol@uni-hohenheim.de §juliane.proelss@gmx.de ¶denis.schweizer@whu.edu Received 21 October 2009 Accepted 27 October 2010 In this paper, we analyze whether model risk/asset-specific ambiguity is an issue for institutional investors. For this purpose, we first show how model risk (which turns out to be equivalent to special cases of ambiguity) affects optimal portfolio allocation. Using average portfolio holdings for traditional and alternative asset classes of 119 institutional investors, we then calibrate our model to implicitly determine the ambiguity factors of different asset classes. We find that institutional investors are strongly ambiguity-averse, as documented by a Sharpe ratio that is only 60 percent that of an (unambiguous) efficient portfolio. In line with intuition, we document that equity and bond portfolios have a rather low ambiguity, while alternative investments such as real estate, private equity, and hedge fund investments exhibit a very high ambiguity. These results are robust with regard to the size of the expected returns supposed by the investors. Keywords: Ambiguity aversion; alternative investments; portfolio allocation; institutional investors. 1. Introduction One of the major contributions of the capital asset pricing theory (CAPM) is a simple optimal...
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...2008 FRM® Examination Study Guide Topic Outline, Readings, Test Weightings The Study Guide sets forth primary topics and subtopics under the five risk‐related disciplines covered in the FRM exam. The topics were selected by the FRM Committee as topics that risk managers who work in practice today have to master. The topics are reviewed yearly to ensure the FRM exam is kept timely and relevant. FRM Examination Approach The FRM exam is a practice‐oriented examination. Its questions are derived from a combination of theory, as set forth in the readings, and “real‐world” work experience. Candidates are expected to understand risk management concepts and approaches and how they would apply to a risk manager’s day‐to‐day activities. The FRM examination is also a comprehensive examination, testing a risk professional on a number of risk management concepts and approaches. It is very rare that a risk manager will be faced with an issue that can immediately be slotted into one category. In the real world, a risk manager must be able to identify any number of risk‐related issues and be able to deal with them effectively. Readings Questions for the FRM examination are derived from the readings listed under each topic outline. These readings were selected by the FRM Committee to assist candidates in their review of the subjects covered by the exam. It is strongly suggested that candidates review these readings in depth prior to sitting for the exam...
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... Jingwen Liu 25402323 Part A Introduction With the development of financial market, the technical analysis tools play an important role for the security evaluation. According to Penman (2010), investors estimate the stock future prices and trends by collecting and estimate the past prices and information. However, there are some conflict points on the momentum strategies performance, and it is a technical tool with multiple economy factors needs to be considered into. Why do momentum strategies exist? Refer to both behavioural and market-based argumentations. Momentum strategies are the stock analysis stool exists in the financial evaluation process, also in funds and currency investment. According to Chan, Jegadeesh, and Lakonishok J (1996) said, "it is a strategy that buying stocks in a high returns over the past three to twelve months, and selling those that had the poor returns over the same period." In the other words, the outperform stock will remain well but the underperform stock will continually worse (Fama & French, 1992). From the views from market- based argumentation, massive of evidence find that the momentum strategies are profitable for financial investment. For example, Aharoni, Ho and Zeng (2012) had a test in the profitability of momentum strategies in Australia stock market, which be found that the...
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...Enablers of Exuberance Jennifer S. Taub Sept. 4, 2009 DISCUSSION DRAFT Enablers of Exuberance: Legal Acts and Omissions that Facilitated the Global Financial Crisis Jennifer S. Taub1 I. Introduction This paper explores certain legal acts and omissions that facilitated the over-leveraging and near collapse of the global financial system. These ―Legal Enablers‖ fostered the boom that enriched a class of financial intermediaries who followed a storied tradition of gambling away ―other people‘s money.‖2 These mechanisms also made the pain of the bust disproportionately felt by the middle class and poor while shielding the middlemen who created the problems. These legal Enablers permitted the growth of a shadow banking system, without investment limits, transparency or government oversight. In the shadows grew a variety of highly leveraged private investment pools, undercapitalized conduits of securitized loans and speculation in complex credit derivatives. The rationale for allowing this unregulated, parallel system was that it helped to create innovation and provide liquidity. The conventional wisdom was that any risks associated with a hands-off approach could be managed by the ―invisible hand‖3 of the market. In other words, instead of public police, it relied upon private gatekeepers. A legal framework including legislation, rules and court decisions supported this system. This legal structure depended upon corporate managers, counterparties, ―sophisticated investors‖ and the...
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...Case Study of the LJM2 Partnership in the Powers Report Criminal Justice 331 Professor Vaurio February 04, 2009 Case Study of the LJM2 Partnership in the Powers Report LJM, which stands for Lea, Jeffrey, Michael, the names of Andrew Fastow's wife and children, was a company created in 1998 by Enron's CFO, Andrew Fastow, to buy Enron's poorly performing stocks and stakes and bolster Enron's financial statements. Fastow proposed in October 1999 to Enron's finance Board the creation of LJM2 Co-Investment L.P. Fastow would act as general director of a much larger private equity fund that would be funded with $200 million of institutional funds. The question of Fastow’s dual role as Enron's CFO and LJM2's general director was not viewed as a conflict of interest was easily laid aside. LJM2, which is a partnership created to buy assets owned by the Enron Corporation to help move debt off of the balance sheet and transfer risk for their other business ventures. These Special Purpose Entities (SPEs) was established to keep Enron's credit rating stay high, which was very important in their fields of business. A special purpose entity is a trust, corporation, limited partnership, or other legal vehicle authorized to carry out specific activities as enumerated in its establishing legal document. LJM2 entered into 26 deals with Enron to help the company move debt and assets off its books. The SPEs provides its sponsor with financing and liquidity while...
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...Risk Management to Influence Financial Decision Making Holman Skinner Keiser University Dr. Tim Drake Business Research Writing: DBA700 10/16/2012 How Corporations use Risk Management to Influence Financial Decision Making Introduction Corporations make financial decisions that pose a risk to the everyday operations of a business everyday. Risk management comes into play with financial decisions when it is important to enabling organizations to reduce exposures to financial decision making, and measuring risk throughout the organization (Lai, Wang, & Yu, 2009). This research study will focus on the topic of how corporations use risk management to influence financial decision making. This research will answer the research problem, research questions, address the theoretical framework. Statement of Problem The problem the study focuses is centered on focuses on how corporations can avoid making bad decisions when ultizing utilizing risk management in making financial decision making. For instance, some corporations not taking risk management seriously has resulted in inefficient use of capital, increased liabilities, and reputation risk (Chemobai, Jorion, & Yu, 2011). Furthermore, when a firm is not willing to go through risk management, this will create an uncertain atmosphere that leads to lack of guidance for the organization and poor decision making. Moreover, a lack of certainty can cause confusion as to what a company’s acceptance...
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... LLC, AND SMITH COLLEGE In January 2004, Alice Handy’s new investment advisory firm, Investure, LLC, was attempting to land its first client, Smith College, an elite liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts with a $913 million endowment. Handy, fresh from her previous position as chief executive officer of the University of Virginia Investment Management Company (UVIMCO), had 25 years of experience managing money and a track record of success. Over her career, Handy had directed increasing amounts of funds to a class of investments known as “alternative assets,” which included a range of investments other than publicly traded stocks and bonds. She had also developed a philosophy about their use and principles that she hoped would guide her new company to success. Mindful that in the investment world “past returns were no guarantee of future returns,” Handy knew she would face challenges from the unprecedented flow of funds into alternative assets and competition from other advisors. Building a business would also require time, energy, and persistence. All of these concerns, however, were in the back of her mind. In the forefront was Smith College’s endowment. She and her partner, Bruce Miller, were eager to review Smith’s current portfolio and prepare asset allocations that would position the endowment for future success. Handy’s Career Handy began her career at Travelers Insurance in 1970 after receiving a bachelor’s degree in economics...
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