After winning the local stage of the CFA Institute Research Challenge in Sydney late last year, a formidable Griffith Business School team will contest the Asia Pacific regional final in Singapore on 24 April.
The CFA Challenge is a global educational initiative that promotes best practices in equity research among the next generation of financial analysts, through hands-on mentoring and intensive training in company analysis and presentation skills.
GBS students John Fan (team captain), Andrew L’Estrelle, Euan Orsini and Jason Rayment have already shown their wares against the best young business minds in Australia.
Now the challenge will be to mastermind their acumen to a higher level in order to advance to the Global Final to be held the very next day.
“It’s an intense environment, the best of the best in Asia Pacific, 20 teams representing their CFA societies, with the overall winner advancing to the Global final,” confirmed Griffith University Academic Adviser, Dr Alexandr Akimov.
“Australian teams are somewhat disadvantaged as local finals took place back in October, so our team has had to do major work to refresh their data.
“No Australian team has ever won Asia Pacific regionals, so we’re very excited about this opportunity in just our second year of CFA Challenge competition.”
Students work in teams to research and analyse a publicly traded stock – and even have a chance to meet face-to-face with company management.
Each team produces an initiation-of-coverage report on their assigned stock with a buy, sell, or hold recommendation and may be asked to present and defend their thesis to a panel of industry veterans.
If successful in the Asia Pacific final, the GBS team will be one of just three institutions remaining in the competition, taking on the winners from the Americas and the Europe/Middle East/Africa region.
“For Griffith to win through to this stage would be a dream come true and once we are there anything can happen,” added Dr Akimov.
“The CFA brand has global recognition and for the entire team a winning item in the CV will place them in good company for any future equity research related job throughout the world.”
GBS team captain John Fan has just completed his PhD thesis on momentum investing and commodity futures markets. His teammates Andrew, Euan and Jason are Bachelor of Commerce students at Griffith’s Gold Coast campus.
The CFA Research Challenge Asia Pacific regional final will be broadcast live here
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