Friday's AIM Equity Presentations Were Successful

Friday, September 2nd AIM Equity Presentations went well.

The first AIM Investment Advisory meeting of the semester were held on Friday, September 2nd, from 3 - 4:30 pm in the AIM Research Room (4th floor of the College of Business Administration, Straz Hall). This followed an open house at 2:00 pm for other students interested in learning about the AIM program. In total over 40 students and professionals attended the presentations.

The presentations were also carried live on video-conference - with more than 15 participants attending on-line. Questions for the presenters were instant messaged into the AIM Room and the first video-conference of the semester went well.  

Follow the link below to a pdf which will direct you to seven student equity recommendations. If you are not able to attend the presentations in person in the future, please feel free to e-mail me questions that you would like asked during the Q&A period (david.krause@marquette.edu).

Link to 9/2 write-ups:

http://tinyurl.com/3zsua3n

Presenter	Company	Ticker
Aaron Socker	Questcor Pharmaceuticals	QCOR
Jacob Brull	Embraer S.A. ADR	ERJ
Kristin Gergens	Emergent BioSolutions	EBS
Nick Hiller	Netlogic Microsystems	NETL
Jon Nolan	América Móvil S.A.B. DE CV ADR	AMX
Colleen Osborne	Medidata Solutions	MDSO
Alice Wycklendt	Myers Industries	MYE

I Bet That My Graduate Assistant Can Hit More Home Runs Than Your Graduate Assistant

Here's the home run form of Brady Endl, Dr. Krause's AIM program graduate assistant.

Excellent June 2011 CFA Exam Results for the Marquette's AIM Program Graduates

The CFA Institute has announced a Level 1 exam global pass rate of 39% for the aspiring investment professionals worldwide who took the June 2011 exam. As previously reported, the AIM students in the Class of 2011 achieved an 88% pass rate on the Level 1 CFA exam, bringing them one step closer to earning the distinguished CFA charter.

Note: To earn the CFA charter, candidates must sequentially pass three six-hour exams that are widely considered to be among the most rigorous in the investment profession. Charterholders must also have 48 months of qualified experience in the investment industry.

A total of 41 AIM graduates recently took the June CFA exams and the group achieved an 83% overall pass rate. Dr. David Krause, AIM program director said, “I’m very pleased with the overall results. While I expect high pass rates for our graduates on the Level 1 exam since we emphasize the CFA core body of knowledge in the AIM program curriculum; I am delighted in the high pass rates for Levels 2 and 3. As most investment professionals realize, it is not easy to pass these exams given the significant work hours required on the job. To say the least, I’m very proud of our AIM alumni for all they have accomplished since they graduated from Marquette.”

The June 2011 Level 1 exam global pass rate was 39% and the pass rate was 88% (14 of 16) for the AIM graduates in the Class of 2011 who took the exam. The Level 2 global pass rate was 43% and the pass rate was 69% (9 of 13) for AIM graduates sitting for the June exam. The global pass rate was 51% for the third and final exam that leads to the prestigious CFA designation – and 92% (11 of 12) AIM graduates passed the Level 3 exam in June. Dr. Krause commented, “The eleven AIM graduates passing Level 3 in June have accomplished an important milestone in their careers at a very early age. I am thrilled for them and I know their employers recognize how this will boost their advancement within the profession. Congratulations go out to everyone who achieved this important goal.” 

  

The CFA Institute expects that the majority of the candidates who passed the Level 3 exam will become CFA charterholders later this year, bringing the number of charterholders worldwide to about 100,000. We are proud to report that since the inception of the AIM program in 2006, 20 AIM graduates have passed all three CFA exams.

Those passing Level 3 this year were: 

·         Mike Carlson (AIM '08)

·         Luke Junk (AIM '08)

·         Luke Lamanna (AIM '08)

·         Andy O'Connell (AIM '08)

·         Pat Abeln (AIM '09)

·         Alison Bettonville (AIM '09)

·         Chris Cebula (AIM '09)

·         Maggie Hughes (AIM ’09)

·         Andy Parker (AIM ’09)

·         Andy Verchota (AIM '09)

·         Kyle Zabel (AIM '09)

Dr. Krause said, “While I am impressed with the overall pass rate, we will continue to encourage all of our AIM graduates to take the CFA exams. As the first undergraduate university to become a CFA Program Partner, we recognize the CFA designation as an important measure of the success of our program. This allows us to demonstrate to employers that AIM graduates have the knowledge and skills to succeed in today’s competitive world of finance right out of our undergraduate program. We will keep refining the curriculum to assist our students in taking and passing the CFA Level 1 exam upon graduation.”

John Rogers, CFA, president and CEO of CFA Institute said, “Employers, institutional and individual investors, and regulators alike see great value in the heart of the CFA Program – financial education and professional ethics training. Investors know that when working with a CFA charterholder, they are working with a serious investment professional who is also a trusted adviser.”

The CFA Institute has administered more than one million exams since the inauguration of the CFA Program in 1963. The Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation is the globally recognized standard among finance professionals by which employers validate the knowledge, integrity and professionalism of investment managers and financial analysts. The CFA Program consists of three levels of examination which measure a candidate's ability to apply the fundamental knowledge of investment principles at a professional level. The CFA exam is administered annually in more than 70 nations worldwide.

My brother is faster than your brother! Krause runs 205.7 MPH at the Bonneville Salt Flats

In his second year racing at the Bonneville Salt Flats, Dennis Krause broke 200 mph in his Ford Mustang. 205.711 surpasses last year's top run of 204.603. Information about Speedweek on the Bonneville Salt Flats and driver speeds are available at: http://www.scta-bni.org/index.html.

Don't try this driving home tonight! (Note the quarter mile speed: 184.6 mph)

Dennis Krause's Mustang in 2011 

Dennis Krause's Mustang in 2010 

Dr. Krause on WISN-TV Talking About Falling Commodity Prices

Dr. David Krause, AIM program director, was interviewed by Portia Young of WISN-TV in Milwaukee about the impact of falling commodity prices on Tuesday. 

Krause said, “The perceived economic slowdown has caused commodity prices to fall the past week; especially oil prices. Oil dropped to below $80 per barrel on fears of a slowing world economy.” He indicated that a silver lining to the decline in commodity prices was that the consumer might be paying less at the gas pump in the second half of 2011.

To view the interview, which took place in the AIM Room in Marquette's College of Business Administration go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryjLxQ3wLS4

Dr. Krause on Monday's Stock Market Plunge

Dr. David Krause, AIM program director, was interviewed by Brandon Cruz of WITI-TV in Milwaukee about the stock market plunge on Monday.

He indicated that the sovereign debt issues in Europe and the U.S. were the source of the increased uncertainty. Krause also indicated that global growth rates might be lowered in the second half of 2011. He said, "The perceived economic slowdown will hurt luxury goods producers and retailers the hardest."

To view the interview, which took place in the AIM Room in Marquette's College of Business Administration go to:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQJ3SwzXxLw&feature=channel_video_title

Ebrahim predicts investment banking jobs could be cut by 25% by end of year

Amid the falling the global economic growth projections, Zaheer Ebrahim (director of the Kennedy Group, a financial services recruiting firm) is projecting investment bank headcount reductions of up to 25% by year-end.

He attributes the weakening economic environment and the lower trading profits of investment banks to result in significant headcount reductions. To view the interview he gave on Bloomberg today, go to:

http://money.msn.com/money-video?vid=79fdd870-35dd-47fd-94bc-503e7dc81d1b or
http://finance.yahoo.com/video/marketnews-19148628/ebrahim-says-banks-may-cut-25-of-jobs-by-year-end-26198831

Christina Starkey (AIM Class of 2011) Featured in Marquette Magazine

From the most recent issue of Marquette Magazine: http://tinyurl.com/3kxalvw

Christina Starkey, AIM / Bus Ad '11, double major in finance and international business

What's next? 

I'm moving to New York City to work at JP Morgan Investment Bank in fixed-income trading.

What excites you most?

I'm excited to be going to Wall Street since it really is the center of the world for finance.

What will you take along?

A lot of things to remind me of home and family. I will also take Marquette's idea of "being the difference" so that I can stand out — both for working hard and behaving ethically.

What accomplishment stands out?

I'm very proud to be doing something that not many people, especially not a lot of women, have been able to do, and I'm excited to be blazing this trail for future Marquette students.

AIM Funds Performance as of July 31, 2011

The following table contains the AIM Funds performance as of the end of July 2011. The returns of all three funds exceed their respective benchmarks over the course of the past 12 months.

The students in the Class of 2012 will be returning to campus soon and pitching investments as early as September 2, 2011. Copies of the AIM student equity write-ups will be available on the AIM web site during the week of August 29th. (Note: all previous AIM equity write-ups since the inception of the program in 2005 are posted on the AIM website at: http://business.marquette.edu/centers-and-programs/aimp-student-equity-write-ups.

Dr. Krause interviewed on WISN-TV about debt crisis

Dr. David Krause, Marquette University

Dr. David Krause, AIM program director, was interviewed this past weekend by Abe Lubetkin of WISN-TV in Milwaukee about the debt crisis.

To view the interview, which took place in the AIM Room in Marquette's College of Business Administration go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJUobRY3jmY

88% CFA Level I Exam Pass Rate for the AIM Class of 2011

Dr. David Krause, AIM program director reported, “Congratulations to the students in the AIM Class of 2011 for their exceptional results on the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Level I exam! The CFA exams are challenging and have a historical pass rate of less than 40% for Level I. This is again an outstanding outcome, I’m very pleased.”

As shown below, Marquette University AIM students in the Class of 2011 far surpassed the global pass rate.  Eighty-eight percent (14 out of 16) of the Class of 2011 AIM students sitting for the Level I exam passed.  Krause said, “I continue to be impressed with the high level of AIM students that passed the CFA exam within the first six months of their graduation. However, we won’t relax until we have 100% of the AIM students passing the CFA Level I exam.”

Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) is an international professional designation offered by the CFA Institute to financial analysts who complete a series of three examinations.  In order to become a CFA charterholder candidates must pass all three six-hour exams, possess a bachelor's degree, and have forty-eight months of work experience in an investment decision-making position.  CFA charterholders are also obligated to adhere to a strict Code of Ethics and Standards governing their professional conduct.

The CFA Institute has announced that 39% of the nearly 145,000 current and aspiring investment professionals worldwide passed the June 2011 CFA exams, bringing them one step closer to earning the distinguished CFA charter.