Death of Fundamental Analysis?
Have you been following the market frenzy around stocks for GameStop, AMC and Bed Bath & Beyond? Or the news on Wall Street Bets and Robinhood? How disruptive are these events for traditional valuation methods? What new factors must be considered when investing and allocating capital? Recent shifts in market dynamics have altered the perception of capital markets in meaningful ways. On April 8, 2021, the Corporate Finance Committee of the CFA Society of Toronto convened a panel of experts to discuss the reasons market valuations are so out of synch with fundamental analysis. Moderator Stephen Foerster, Professor of Finance […]
Who’s Minding the Bots?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is being implemented in nearly all sectors of the economy at an increasing rate. A 2019 survey by Gartner showed that 37 percent of organizations had already implemented AI in some form. When it comes to integrating AI into your company, what are the risks? What are the opportunities? On March 12, 2021, the Industry Relations and Corporate Governance Committee of the CFA Society Toronto convened a panel of experts to look at how effectively a company’s corporate governance can provide proper oversight and avoid mistakes. In other words, “who and how we will mind the bots.” […]
Embrace the Alternative
In the world of finance, investors are constantly searching for new sources of information that could help them generate alpha. Many of them have recently turned to alternative data. But what, exactly, is alternative data? And why should investors (and those seeking a career in finance) care about it? On February 17, 2021, the Professional Development Committee at CFA Society Toronto convened a panel discussion to demystify the alternative data industry. Alexandra Zvarich, representing the committee, questioned the panellists about insights they could share, and how to prepare for a career in this area. “We worked with alternative data before […]
From Ideas to Action
Climate change will reshape how financial organizations and investors think about climate-related events. But how will we deal with climate change risk? How will financial organizations respond to increasing demands for transparency, measurement, and action? On February 2, 2021, the Institutional Asset Management Committee of the CFA Society of Toronto convened a webinar with three seasoned experts who discussed how best to move into a world of green initiatives. The session was opened by Brandon Gill, Senior Portfolio Manager, Capital Markets Group, External Public Investments and Credit at OPTrust, the pension trust fund of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union. […]
The Achilles Heel of Banking
After last decade’s financial crisis, regulators introduced several new measures to reduce systemic risk in the financial system. How are the new safeguards working? What are the implications for future balance sheet structure? The CFA Society Toronto convened a panel of three experts on November 25, 2020, to discuss the new regulatory capital and liquidity frameworks and how they are reshaping the way Canadian banks approach the market. The webinar, including a Q&A session, was moderated by Nigel D’Souza, Investment Analyst, Veritas Investment Research. “There’s no doubt the financial crisis changed balance sheets,” said Bruce Choy, Managing Director (Former Risk […]
Ethical Decision Making
Why do well-meaning people engage in unethical behavior? Given that a healthy financial market depends on trust, and that trust is earned through ethical behaviour, ethics are fundamental to ensuring the integrity of finance professionals. A panel of two experts in ethical decision making from the CFA Institute—Jon Stokes, Director, and Paul Johnson, Manager and Special Investigator—spoke live to an audience of about 700 on October 21, 2020 in celebration of Global Ethics Day 2020. A survey of 3500 retail investors showed which industry sectors they ranked as “highly trustworthy.” Medicine was at the top of the list, with 68 […]
Healthy skepticism
Selecting environmental, social, and governance (ESG) funds is a way that ordinary citizens can invest in an ethical way. But what does the increased interest in ESG investing shown by institutional and private wealth clients really mean? Is it paying off? Are we at a watershed moment for structural change in the way investors allocate resources? The move to consider ESG investing came some years ago with scandals such as Enron, and continues with more scandals such as Volkswagen’s Dieselgate and Facebook’s meddlings, said Pedro Matos, a professor of finance at University of Virginia and the author of the CFA […]
New World Order 2
From state-owned enterprises to the Covid-19 pandemic, issues in China affect the Canadian investment environment and capital flow decisions. Given China’s ascendance in the global economy, what is the best strategy to ride the wave upward, too? What are potential danger areas? The following is the second half of a report on the webinar “New World Order: How China’s Rising Affects Investment Strategy” held on June 15, 2020, and sponsored by the CFA Society Toronto. Three panellists were interviewed by Tanya Lai, Managing Director, Public Equities, of the Investment Management Company of Ontario (IMCO). Lai noted there was increased scrutiny […]
New World Order 1
From trade wars to 5G technology, issues in China are having an impact on the Canadian investment environment and capital flow decisions. What effect will China’s ascendance have on the global economy? What is the best strategy to ride the wave upward? What are potential danger areas? On June 15, 2020, Herbert Zhang, the chair of the institutional asset management committee of the CFA Society Toronto, welcomed three panellists at the webinar titled, “New World Order: How China’s Rising Affects Investment Strategy.” The panellists shared their thoughts on how investors should view US-China trade tensions and deal with the associated […]
The Value of Data
What is the value of data? Who benefits from data? Can you construct a decent predictive model to manage risk if you have lousy data? Some enterprising souls have tried to sell their data back to the tech giants that collect and use big datasets. There are even some small companies such as CitizenMe and Datum that pay a user for taking a quiz or sending location data. “Data are far from becoming a standardized commodity whose value can readily be established through trades,” writes Diane Coyle, professor at University of Cambridge, in a report she tabled February 26, 2020, […]