Programme

PGP

Term

IV

Academic Year

2021-22

Course title

Alternative Investments

Area

Finance and Accounting

Credits

0.50

Instructor(s)

Prof. Jayanth R Varma

Course Description & Objectives

Introduction and Objectives:  Over the last few decades, investment management has moved beyond the traditional asset classes like bonds and equities. The objective of this course is to provide a framework for analysing investment in the important alternative asset classes like commodities, real estate, art, distressed debt and intellectual property. The course does not cover venture capital, private equity and other forms of alternative investment that provide exposure to listed or unlisted equity. It does not cover alternative investment vehicles like hedge funds.

Pedagogy

This is largely a case based course, with different case assigned for 7 out of 10 sessions. The remaining three sessions are lecture based. The course includes a group project in which the group would be required to analyse either an actual alternative investments fund or the role of alternative investments in an actual institutional portfolio based on publicly available information.