established 1985
Benefiting from over 30 years’ experience, Fitzwilliam Institute’s online Postgraduate Diploma in Hedge Funds course features:
The Financial Service Sector. The Role of the Financial Service Industry Today. Banks & Financial Service Institutions. Services Offered. Defining a Bank. Types of Banks. Non Bank Financial Terms. Trends Within the Financial Services Industry. Trends Affecting the Financial Service Industry. Characteristics of a Financial Service Provider. Financial Services Regulation. Reasons for Government Regulation. Aims of Regulation. Professional Bodies. Codes of Practices. Financial Regulatory Authorities by Country.
Investment Bank Services. Front Office Investment Bank Services. Middle Office Investment Bank Services. Back Office Investment Bank Services. Differences between Investment Bank and Commercial Bank. Stocks, Shares and Bonds. Types of Investments. Ordinary Shares. Preference Shares. Share Returns. Collective Investment Schemes. Unit Trusts & OEICs. Investment Trusts. Differences Between Unit and Investment Trusts. Tracker Funds. Exchange Traded Funds. Fund Charges. Types of Insurance. Life Insurance. Property Insurance. Liability Insurance. Insurance Policy. Annuity. Financial Capital. Types of Capital. Sources of Capital. Working Capital. Fixed Capital. Leverage. Financial Instrument. Shareholders. Capitqal Risk and International Requirments. Capital Ratio. Capital Management. Insurable Interest. Utmost Good Faith. Warranty. Rules and Regulations. Market Manipulation. Securities Commission.
Introduction to Hedge Funds. Defining Hedge Funds. Hedge Funds and Mutual Funds. Relative Returns. Absolute Returns. Hedge Funds & Liquidity. Arbitrage Strategies. Event-Driven Strategies. Directional Strategies. Higher Returns and Bear Markets. Hedge Funds & Risk. Funds of Hedge Funds.
Organisational Structure. General and Limited Partners. Fee Structure. Management & Incentive Fee. Term Structure. Subscriptions and Redemptions. Lock-Ups. Service Providers. Board of Directors. Sponsors. Custodians/ Trustees. Introduction to Investment Structures. Single and Multi Manager Funds. Master-Feeder Fund. Mirror Funds. Umbrella Funds. Side Pockets.
The Fund Administrator. Determining Net Asset Value. Shareholder Service Agent. Shareholder Redemption. Shareholder Transfer. Stamp Duty. Articles of Association. Trading & Investing. Supply & Demand. Mark to Market Trading. Trading Margin Accounts. Equity. Weighted Average Cost of Equity. Weighted Average Costing. FIFO Cost Allocation. Realized and Unrealized Gains & Losses. Fixed Interest Securities. Gilts & Bonds. Conventional Gilts. Index-Linked Gilts. Undated Gilts. Gilt Strips. Risk - Bonds & Gilts. The Custodian Bank. Custodian Procedures. Settlement Procedures. Safekeeping. Income Collection. Corporate Actions. Mandatory and Voluntary Corporate Action. Taxation Services. Proxy Voting. Trustees. Valuations.
Financial Regulation. Aims of Regulation. Regulation of Banks. Regulation of Listed Companies. Regulation of the Stock Exchange. Regulation of Investments. Regulation of Anti-Money Laundering. Principles of Bank Regulations. Components of Bank Regulation. International Law. International Banking Regulations. The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision. Basel III. Basel Capital Accord. Compliance. Principles in Compliance.
Tolls Used by Hedge Funds. Buying & Selling. Equity Hedge. Buying on a Margin. Short Selling & Securities Lending. Derivatives. Leverage. Financial Leverage. Construction Leverage. Instrument Leverage. Investment Approaches & Introduction to Hedge Fund Strategies.
Introduction to Merger Arbitrage. Types of Mergers & Aquisitions. Horizontal Merger. Vertical Merger. Co-Generic Merger. Conglomerate Merger. Cash Merger. Stock Swap Merger. Leverage Buyouts. Spin Offs. Risk Manageemnt. Volatility Risk. Commodity Risk. Event Risk. Tail Risk. Convertible Arbitrage. Credit Spreads. Implied Volatility. Fixed-Income Arbitrage. Yield Curve Arbitrage. Basis Trading. Capital Structure Arbitrage.
Hedging Techniques. Types of Securities. Collateralized Debt Obligation. Mortgage Backed Securities. Pass Through Securities.
Specific associated hedge fund risks, risk management, measuring risk, risk adjusted performance measures, applying effective risk management strategies to offshore funds, importance of effective fund administration, effects of adding hedge funds to traditional portfolios.
Introduction to measuring returns, associated difficulties, measuring net asset values, equalization, crystallization, multiple share classes, the free-ride syndrome, onshore versus offshore funds, equalization factor, calculating return, the Sharpe ratio, the Treynor ratio, Jensen alpha, downside risk, hedge fund databases, indices, benchmarks.
Introduction to hedge fund investing, the benefits of hedge funds, portfolio construction, asset allocation and amount, static versus dynamic allocations, GIGO syndrome.
Hedge fund options, objectives, qualitative and quantitative analysis, funds of hedge funds, advantages of funds of funds, disadvantages of funds of funds.
Introduction to structured products on hedge funds, a growing area in the financial services industry, flexibility in portfolio construction, constant proportion portfolio insurance, return swaps, call options, capital protected notes, enhancing return and mitigating risk.
Introduction to macroeconomics, understanding macroeconomics, principles of economics, how the market works, gross domestic product, international trade, open economy, Labour market, income, expenditure and the circular flow, the consumer price index, cost of taxation, employment, cost of living, the Philips Curve, national income, supply and demand for goods and services, money and inflation, the quantity theory of money, interest rates, social costs of inflation, hyperinflation, exchange rates.
Economic fluctuations, economic growth, economy in the long run, accumulation of Capital, population growth, policies to promote growth, the Solow Model, the business cycle, aggregate demand and supply, the IS-LM Model, the money market, how fiscal and monetary policies shift the LM Curve, floating and fixed exchange rates, the Mundell-Fleming Model, policy debates, investment, government policies.
Introduction to microeconomics, trade, trade offs and government policy, production and supply, elasticities, individual choice in supply and demand, production and cost analysis, competitive markets, oligopoly and monopolistic competition and strategic pricing, uncertainty.
Introduction to financial accounting, users of financial information, key accounting models, terminology, need for financial statements, the balance sheet, balance sheet layouts, ratio and the balance sheet.
Income statement and layout, ratios, revenues and trade receivables, owners equity, cash flow measurement and documentation, inventories and cost of sales, tangible and intangible assets, liabilities, financial statements and recording transactions, preparing financial statements, analyzing and interpreting financial statements, analysis tools, auditing.
Common obstacles to communication, types of communication, listening skills, organization communication, effective communication channels, working in a team, team roles, benefits of negotiation, dealing with conflict.
The global economy, competition, laws and regulations, emerging trends, technological advancements, fees, liquidity, emerging managers, transparency, strategies.
Introduction to spreadsheets, step by step instructions on using the features, functions and applications for spreadsheets, customizing the spreadsheet software, installing the spreadsheet software, security, platforms, operating system compatibility. Case Studies Three hedge fund case studies.
Detailed definitions of key financial services terms.
The Business Plan, Legalities, Setting Up, the Marketing Strategy, Knowing Your Competitors, Promotional Tools.
Effective communication skills, leadership styles, information gathering and interpretation, problem solving, decision making, workforce planning, conflict resolution, time management, delegation. Understanding group needs and characteristics, knowing and understanding group resources, controlling the group, counselling, setting the example, representing the group, problem-solving, evaluation, contextual leadership, sharing leadership, the project leader as a manager of learning.
Team selection, managing the team, the skills matrix, personal work styles, boundaries of responsibility, managing associated strengths and weaknesses.
Gaining and maintaining authority, supporting the team, key people in the organisation (e.g. general management, director of projects, project services manager, chief mechanical engineer, chief controls engineer, drawing office manager, the project support office (PSO), influencing and delegating, sources of power (legitimate, reward, expert, referent, coercive).
Maslow's hierarchy of needs, the four stages of team building (forming, storming, norming and performing), ways of establishing and assigning specific measurable roles to the team, ways to keep stakeholders motivated, how to build team members morale, managing virtual teams.
Company organisational culture and structures, building an effective workforce – recruitment, team selection, appointment and termination, training and appraisal, motivational strategies, competition in the workplace. Wage and salary administration, job restructuring.
Negotiation skills overview, pre-negotiation skills, information and leverage evaluation, types of negotiation, negotiation analysis, negotiation process: opening stance, tactics, concessions, resolutions, negotiation closure, documentation and follow-through.
Communicating up the hierarchy ladder, communication and attitude, effective communication with the client, effective communication with senior management, optimization of performance reporting, communicating with external stakeholders, conformity and union in decisions and contracts, avoiding misinterpretations, communicating updates in project developments, ensuring two-way communication. Accepting feedback, monitoring and adapting communication, group and individual communication, cost efficient communication, getting the right information to the right people at the right time.
The nature of business, business plans and start-ups, legalities – sole traders and partnerships, limited companies, non-profit organisations, public sector organisations. Vision and mission, objectives, planning and strategy, contingency planning, implementation, change control.
Production methods, cost, revenue and break-even analysis, quality assurance, production planning, project management.
Defining and summarising the key elements involved in project management (Project Integration, Project Scope Management, Project Time Management, Project Cost Management, Project Quality Management, Project Human Resource Management, Project Communication Management, Project Risk Management and Project Procurement Management).
What makes a project a successful one, the triangle of objectives, the implications of project failure (shortcomings in initial project plan, flaws in costing, time and quality management, inadequate communication across stakeholders, consequences related to delegation and leadership shortfalls, unrealistic aims, lack of prioritization, lack of knowledge in stakeholder interests and concerns, poorly defined expectations), why project success does not always equal success as a Project Manager.
ProjectLibre is a free open source project management software application. It is designed to manage small to medium sized projects and contains all the tools necessary to manage various types of projects including extensive reporting facilities. ProjectLibre is also compatible with Microsoft Project making transfer of projects easy and straightforward.
Introduction to ProjectLibre; Downloading & Installing the Application. The ProjectLibre screen environment: Gantt Charts, Using Network Diagrams, the Resources View, the Work Breakdown Structure Chart, the Resources Breakdown Structure Chart, the Reports Screen, the Task Usage Detail Screen, the Resource Usage Detail Screen, the Histogram Screen.
Setting up a New Project; Creating Sub Tasks, Setting Task Durations, Setting Task Dependencies, Modifying a Task, Adding Notes to a Task, Adding Resources to your Project. Work and Material Resource Types, Assigning & Modifying a Resource, Assigning Costs to a Resource, Adding Notes to a Resource. Inserting Milestones in a Project; Tracking your Project using Baselines, Creating Project Reports. Common Project Management Terms, Resources and References.
Situation Analysis, Research, Objectives, Publics, Implementation, Budgets, Timetables, Evaluation. Planning and Managing a PR Campaign
Public Relations' role in the Organisation - Internal Communication, Communicating Performance, Counselling the Organisation, Strategy. The role of the Public Relations Practitioner, both in-house and in Consultancies. Business Strategy and Operation.
Definitions and Typologies of Crises. The Crisis Management Plan and Crisis Management Team. Communicating in a Crisis. The Aftermath of a Crisis, Reputation Management.
Managing community expectations. The organisation’s impact on society. The Increasing Importance of Corporate Social Responsibility. The Ethics of CSR. CSR as an Integral Element of Overall Business Strategy. Why Organisations Engage in Community Relations, the Range of CSR Activities.
Innovation, research and new product development.
Business ethics, business and the environment. Commercial Law, Company Law, Contract Law, Employment Law, Law of Tort.
Preparation and Research, Speech Content, Subject Matter and Objectives, Speech Delivery and Variety, Body Language, Eye Contact, etc., Presentation Aids e.g. Visuals, etc., Management of Locations and Audiences, Presentation Structure.
The projects are an important part of the course. Each course participant is given 5 project briefs. Participants are asked at the end of the course to produce 5 hedge fund projects. This gives participants the opportunity to use the knowledge they have obtained during the course in a focused way.
Online Lecture Modules, Subject Expert Feedback Sessions after each Module, Practical Case Studies, End of Practical Activities etc.
Full support is available from our Subject Experts by email at the end of each module and an ongoing basis during the course.
Anyone working in the general business sector in a senior or support role which is likely to require Hedge Funds Skills.
Successful candidates are awarded the Postgraduate Diploma in Hedge Funds (PG. Dip. Hedge Funds) at Pass, Credit or Distinction level.
On successful completion of this course you will receive a Postgraduate level qualification that is certified and awarded by the ICM (Institute of Commercial Management).
The Institute of Commercial Management was founded in 1979 and is one of the leading Professional Examination and Certification Bodies in the world today. Fitzwilliam Institute have developed and provided practical skills training courses in liaison with the Institute of Commercial Management qualifications and certifications framework for over 25 years. The Institute of Commercial Management certifications and continual professional development training awards are recognised throughout Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia, South Africa and Asia in a total of 140 countries, by leading industries, bodies and professions.
Duration: You will have full access to online resources and subject expert support for two calendar years. However, you can complete the course in as little as 1 year, by dedicating 6-8 hours of study per week.
Course Fees: 1995.00 EUR
To secure your place on the course the full fee is required. All fees must be paid in full before the course begins. Please note, the full course fees are inclusive of all course materials and certification costs.
Enrolment intake is strictly limited on this course. Early application is advised. Places are allocated on a first come first served basis.
Fitzwilliam Institute closes on Bank Holidays and for a number of days at Christmas and New Year. Fitzwilliam Institute reserves the right to postpone, cancel or alter courses without notice or to change any of the details in this brochure. Fees are not refundable unless the course is cancelled by Fitzwilliam Institute. Distance Learning courses are provided by Fitzwilliam Institute BGLS Ltd.
Year on year, we have the pleasure of training students from top Ireland and international companies. See where our most recent students come from and find out what they have to say.