Posted: September 18th, 2017

Investments

Assignment Task:

70%

 

 

 

10%

 

You have a hypothetical £200,000 to invest in shares quoted on the London Stock Exchange. You

 

are to construct an investment portfolio of 5 companies.

 

The companies can be any 5 listed on the London Stock Exchange (including the Alternative

 

Investment Market). The companies may be non-UK but must have London as the primary listing, i.e.

not Google, Apple, SONY etc. They should not operate in the following sectors:

 

* financial services (including banks and insurance)

 

* investment in capital markets (e.g. in shares, bonds etc.)

 

* real estate

 

 

 

The detailed components of your assignment are as follows:

 

 

 

1) Produce a spreadsheet showing: the investments you have chosen; the closing share price on

11

 

 

th

August (i.e. the price reported in the morning press after this date); the number of shares

 

 

 

you have acquired; the beta of each company; and the value of your investment. Your

 

spreadsheet should show the weighted average beta of your portfolio, accurately calculated.

 

You must cut and paste the spreadsheet into the submitted document as the portal will not

accept a spreadsheet in Excel format. You will be marked to reflect your understanding of the

 

 

 

task and the accuracy of the data. (20 marks)

 

2) Explain your reasons for choosing each investment. This should include: a brief explanation of

 

what the company does and a discussion of why you think its share price will perform well in the

 

short to medium term. Your work should be supported by commentary and analysis by industry

professionals in financial institutions and the financial press. You are not expected to carry

 

out a financial analysis of the company. You will be marked on your understanding of the

 

 

 

task, the relevance of the material presented, the insight of your analysis and the quality and

 

breadth of the sources used. (c. 1,500 words) (50 marks)

 

 

 

3) Many investment managers invest by buying shares to reflect the FTSE 100 index. Explain how

 

the FTSE 100 index is calculated and how this behaviour by investment managers affects the

 

market, particularly for smaller companies’ shares. You will be marked on your understanding of

 

the task and the insight of your analysis. (c.500 words) (20 marks)

 

Your assignment should be in report format and the spreadsheet and supporting commentary should

 

be presented in a clearly set out, professional manner. Clarity and quality of presentation and

 

referencing will be a factor in the marks awarded. (10 marks)/

please use harvard refrencing!