Congratulations to The Hong Kong Polytechnic University for winning the CFA Institute Research Challenge 2011-2012 in Hong Kong. They are heading to compete against teams from 19 other countries in the regional final, which will be held in the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre this week on March 1 and 2, 2012. The successful team will then compete in the international final, to be held in New York in April 2012.
The CFA Institute Research Challenge offers students the unique opportunity to develop and present an equity research report and compete on a global basis. Students will learn from leading industry experts and their mentors and peers from the world’s top business schools. This annual educational initiative is designed to promote best practices in equity research among the next generation of analysts through hands-on mentoring and intensive training in company analysis and presentation skills.
Sei Ling Ng, VP of Kaplan, Hong Kong, said: “This year’s competition promises to be a challenging event for the students taking part. We are very excited that Kaplan Schweser, our sister company, is sponsoring the event, giving students the chance to meet some of the finest investment professionals and to potentially meet their contemporaries from many other countries. Its further evidence of the continued educational work we are doing to help support the investment professionals of tomorrow.”
Kaplan Schweser representatives were invited to share their experiences and advices to the attendants during a career presentation on March 2, 2012.
The global competition, which runs until April 2012, is expected to attract 3,000 students and 600 universities in nearly 50 countries, including Vietnam, Kenya and Colombia for the first time.
The CFA Institute Research Challenge comprises:
Analysis of a publicly-traded company
Teams research a publicly traded company. The company’s management presents information to the student teams and is available to answer student questions.
Mentoring by a professional research analyst
Each team works with a CFA charterholder who mentors the team during the research process and reviews and critiques its report.
Writing a research report
Each team produces an Initiation of Coverage report on its chosen company. The report is reviewed and scored by a group of judges.
Presentation of research to a panel of experts
The teams' final presentations are locally evaluated by panels of experts from top financial institutions. Panelists include heads of research, portfolio managers, and chief investment officers from the world’s top firms. The team with the highest combined written report and presentation score is the winner and advances to the regional level of the Research Challenge.
Advancement to the CFA Institute Research Challenge Global Finale
Regional winners then progress to compete at the global finale. At the regional and global stages of the Research Challenge, teams are evaluated solely on their presentations.
Media contacts
Hong Kong
Janet Sin
hkcfa@kaplan.com
About the Global Investment Research Challenge
The challenge gathers students, investment industry professionals, publicly traded companies and corporate sponsors together locally, regionally, and globally for a world competition. In order to promote best practices in equity research and company analysis, students research, analyze, and report on a company as if they are practicing analysts. Local CFA societies host and launch an Investment Research Challenge in conjunction with the participating universities. The universities assemble teams of three-five business and finance students who work directly with a company in researching and preparing a company analysis. The team’s final presentations are locally evaluated by high-profile panels of heads of research, portfolio managers, and chief investment officers from the world’s top firms. The local champions advance to regional competitions in the Americas, Asia, and Europe and then to the global finale.
About CFA Institute
CFA Institute is the global association for investment professionals. It administers the CFA and CIPM curriculum and exam programs worldwide; publishes research; conducts professional development programs; and sets voluntary, ethics-based professional and performance-reporting standards for the investment industry. CFA Institute has more than 105,000 members, who include the world’s 97,000 CFA charterholders, as well as 135 affiliated professional societies in 58 countries and territories. More information may be found at www.cfainstitute.org |
