Best Free MOOCs In Business For April

Portfolio and Risk Management

School: University of Geneva

Platform: Coursera

Registration Link: REGISTER HERE

Start Date: April 2016

Workload: Not Specified

Instructors: Michel Girardin, Jonas Demaurex, Ines Chaieb, Tony Berrada, Olivier Scaillet and Rajna Brandon Gibson

Credentials: The instructors in this course are all members of the University of Geneva’s Finance Research Institute (GFRI). They include Girardin, who spent 20 years as a chief economist and chief investment officer in the Swiss banking sector; Scaillet, the vice dean of research at the university’s school of economics and management; and Gibson, the managing director of the GFRI.

Graded: Students can choose to explore course videos, discussions, and ungraded assignments for free, but they won’t be able to submit graded assignments, earn a certificate, or complete a specialization without paying a $119 fee.

Description: What are my long-term goals? Where should I allocate my assets? How much risk is acceptable? These are all questions that investors ask themselves. In constructing portfolios, there are always trade-offs. Diversification can provide a buffer against drops in particular markets or funds, but it can also reduce the chances for higher returns. Whether your client wants to park their assets in equities, bonds, properties, or liquid cash, there are certain principles to structuring a portfolio that enables them to capitalize on opportunities without exposing themselves to volatility.

In this course, students “will gain an understanding of the theory underlying optimal portfolio construction, the different ways portfolios are actually built in practice and how to measure and manage the risk of such portfolios. [They] will start by studying how imperfect correlation between assets leads to diversified and optimal portfolios as well as the consequences in terms of asset pricing. Then, [they] will learn how to shape an investor’s profile and build an adequate portfolio by combining strategic and tactical asset allocations. Finally, [they]  will have a more in-depth look at risk: its different facets and the appropriate tools and techniques to measure it, manage it and hedge it.”

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Additional Background: This course is the first part of an “Investment Management” specialization, a five course series that covers portfolio and risk management, long-term investing, and understanding financial markets. To learn more about these courses and register for them, CLICK HERE.