Friday, September 21, 2012

Links to Marquette AIM Program Student Equity Recommendations for September 2012


 

In the first month of a new school year, the AIM Class of 2013 hit the ground running with their first equity presentations of the semester.  Including today’s student equity presentations we will have had 24 students pitch their stock recommendations.  Follow the links below to view these AIM student equity write-ups:




Thursday, September 20, 2012

How to Properly Address a Cover Letter if You Don’t Know the Hiring Manager’s Name


This might be a useful article for students during the interviewing season. This appeared in The Finance Professionals' Post (New York Society of Security Analysts) on how to address a cover letter if you don’t know the hiring manager’s name by Penny Locey, a vice president with Keystone Associates.

You’re applying for a job online, but you don’t know the hiring manager’s name or gender. How can you find that information? Or, if you can’t get a name, what are some alternative ways to address the cover letter without being too impersonal or old-fashioned?

HERE ARE SOME TIPS ON HANDLING TRICKY SITUATIONS LIKE THESE:

If applying for a position online, your resume and letter will be going to HR and hopefully on to the hiring manager. Unless the position says who the hiring manager is and most of them don’t, you’re going to have to do a little digging.

First check the company website. If that doesn’t work use your Internet search engine by putting in the company name, department doing the hiring, and any other information that relates to the position. For example, there often is enough identifying information in the position description such as “this position reports to the VP of Product Strategy.” If you find the person’s name, but cannot determine gender (again, Google can be invaluable as the person may have been quoted, or have posted a photo), then you can put the person’s whole name and address.

If this doesn’t produce a suitable hiring manager, do a search for the head of recruiting (company name+ Human Resources+ Recruiting). The HR recruiter or head of recruiting might have posted the position and you could address that person directly.

More often than not, it will be difficult to identify those people directly, but you still need a graceful way to begin.

Avoid writing “Dear X.” You can start the letter with an identifier like: RE: JOB #12345 : Product Marketing Manager, then begin the body of your letter. Or, address it to Dear Hiring Manager and HR Partner for (“area” – e.g. Product Marketing).

If you are using a search firm, the firm may have a way they want you to address the letter (they may also rework your resume into “their” format). You can also address the recruiter or firm, since they will have posted the position.

WAYS AROUND THE SCREENING SOFTWARE

For those of you in key professional or managerial roles especially, you may want to direct a letter to the hiring manager or the head of the group with the opening directly, in addition to whatever submission you make online. This is especially true if you have a non-traditional background that could make you an asset, but get you screened out by screening software, or a casual review of your background.

These letters would be different, and you want to target those directly to the situation the company/group finds itself in, and why you might bring something key or special to bear.

For example: (to the VP of Product by name) I noted with interest that you are expanding your marketing team for (product X); this would be an exciting time to be associated with (company) as you bring this product from proof of concept to the marketplace, given the competition you face from (company Y) in this space. I am taking the liberty to write you directly, as I have an unusual background that I believe could be a strategic asset to you in this situation, but which might be screened out by typical recruiting software.

Then go on to add a few highlights that get the person to look at your resume.

I hope this helps some of you seeking full-time or internship positions.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Breaking News: Marquette's Finance Program Ranked 17th Nationally


U.S. News released its “Best Colleges” rankings today, including the Best Undergraduate Business Programs.  
 
The U.S. News ranked Marquette University 83rd among national universities. Similar to the University, the College of Business Administration was ranked 87 among Best Undergraduate Business Programs, a drop from last year’s ranking of 81.
 
Marquette's College of Busienss Administration was also recognized for top specialty programs in accounting, finance and supply chain management. Finance is ranked 17, up one spot from last year, and supply chain management is ranked 16, the same as last year. Accounting is ranked for the first time at 23.
 
Business school rankings are based solely on a peer assessment survey of deans and senior faculty at each U.S. undergraduate business program accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).
 
 
The top finance speciality undergraduate programs were:
 
1. University of Pennsylvania
2. New York University
3. University of California - Berkeley
4. MIT
5. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
6. University of Texas - Austin
7. University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
8. Carnegie Mellon
9. University of Virginia
10. Indiana University
11. Ohio State University
12. University of Florida
13. Boston College
13. University of Illinois
15. Creighton University
15. University of Southern California
17. MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY
17. University of Maryland
17. University of Washington
17. Emory University
17. Loyola University - Chicago
22. Fordham University
22. Loyola University - Maryland
23. Washington University
26. University of Georgia
26. University of Notre Dame
26. University of Wisconsin
 
 
 

Monday, August 20, 2012

Mary Ellen Stanek, Barron's article: In It for the Duration

Baird Core Plus Bond manager Mary Ellen Stanek isn't interested in making interest-rate bets or goosing returns with complex securities. She and her team are winning the "game of inches" the old-fashioned way, with credit work and common sense.

Mary Ellen Stanek, president of Baird Funds in Milwaukee, has been worrying about the value of a dollar for most of her adult life. In high school and college, she spent her summers working in a community bank, where her father was president. "I did everything from the night deposits to the switchboard," says Stanek, 56.

After graduating magna cum laude from Marquette University in 1978, she flirted with going to law school. But banking was in her blood. Rather than follow her father to the commercial side, she took an entry-level investment position at First Wisconsin Trust Milwaukee, where she was handed the task of researching the real-world implications of duration, an obscure concept at the time that is now paramount to any discussion of interest-rate risk. "Up until then, people used maturity to describe a bond's risk level," says Stanek.

For those of you who don't run a bond fund: Duration is a measure of how sensitive a bond's price is to any change in interest rates. Like maturity, duration is expressed in years. But while maturity is the time left before a bond comes due, duration incorporates the timing of any interest and principal payments prior to maturity.

Most people find it hard to gin up any interest in duration, let alone cultivate a passion for it, but it was at Stanek's first job that she found like-minded colleagues and began a 30-year partnership with Gary Elfe and Charlie Groeschell. "We've grown up together in the business world," says Stanek. In 2000 the trio left their longtime employer—which, after a name change and an acquisition, is now a division of U.S. Bancorp—and headed over to R.W. Baird, located in the same building.

Today Stanek is president of Baird Funds and, along with Elfe and Groeschell, oversees a 28-person fixed-income team and $16.7 billion in separate accounts and five bond mutual funds, notably the $1.9 billion Baird Core Plus Bond Fund (ticker: BCOSX). The fund has averaged a 6.9% annual return over the past decade, better than 92% of its intermediate-bond peers, according to Morningstar. Its 2.82% yield to maturity was recently 65 basis points (one basis point is 0.01%) better than that of its benchmark, Barclays Capital U.S. Universal Index.

While Stanek learned early in her career that duration is a key factor in interest-rate risk, the hallmark of the team's investment approach has been to neutralize it. Rather than try to predict which way interest rates will go, they match the duration of their portfolios with an appropriate benchmark. In the case of Core Plus, they adjust the portfolio every day to account for new cash flows and make sure the portfolio's duration is in line with the Barclay's Index.

Mary Ellen Stanek



That strategy isn't uncommon at smaller firms that don't make big macro bets. It can, however, mean that managers have less leeway to quickly adapt to rising interest rates, since they're not in the business of forecasting them. That's why tossing out duration decisions "removes one of the major levers for adding returns, particularly in a volatile environment," says Rick Beard, managing director of Cardinal Investment Advisors, who recommends Baird's fixed-income strategy to his institutional clients. Beard concedes, though, that "it's really hard to out-predict the market."

Moreover, "when you're trying to make interest-rate calls, you have to take your eyes off the other balls," Stanek says, adding she'd rather add value by focusing on yield-curve position, sector allocation, and security selection.

Fees are also a focus: Transaction fees, "the enemies of clients' wealth," says Stanek, are kept to a minimum. And at 0.55% (0.30% for institutional shares), the fund's expense ratio is nearly half that of its peers.

The team builds the framework of the portfolio based on where they want to be on the yield curve—currently the fund is over-weighted in seven- to 10-year bonds and underweight shorter-term government securities—and what sectors offer the best risk-reward. After that, the bulk of the work goes into individual security selection.

The fund often deviates from its benchmark, sometimes substantially. Today, for instance, financials represent 22% of the portfolio, but just 9% of the benchmark on a duration-weighted basis, which reflects the actual price sensitivity of the sector to interest-rate changes. While a black cloud still hangs over the sector—yields are about 225 basis points higher than comparable Treasuries—Stanek and her team have a different take: Not only are banks driven to keep their credit ratings high, she says, more-stringent regulations bode well for bondholders. "We wouldn't want to be shareholders in many of those companies," she says. "But we feel our bond positions have only been enhanced." They view bad news about financials as buying opportunities.

Clearly, the fund will take sector bets, but Stanek is careful to diversify its credit risk. Of the fund's 585 securities, its largest credit holding, General Electric (GE), accounts for just 0.99% of the portfolio.

Another area where Stanek and her team are comfortable straying from the benchmark is commercial mortgage-backed securities, which represent 7% of the fund versus 1% of the index, after accounting for duration. The group was beaten up by the financial crisis, but there are plenty of high-quality issues in the mix that offer higher yield without commensurate risk. Most of those are in senior positions underwritten prior to 2006, before underwriting standards began to deteriorate, Stanek says.
Stanek's focus on individual securities and the details of their often complicated structures help her win what she calls "a game of inches."

Baird Core Plus Fund (BCOSX)

 

Total Returns*

 

1-Yr

3-Yr

5-Yr

BCOSX

   6.25%

9.13%

7.56%

Barclays U.S. Universal TR

5.04%

6.94%

6.65%

 

% Of

Benchmark

Sector Breakdown*

Portfolio*

 

U.S. Treasury

25%

36%

U.S. Govt Agency

1%

3%

Other Govt Related

6%

11%

Industrials

16%

21%

Utility

10%

5%

Finance

22%

9%

Mgt Backed Securities

11%

14%

Asset-Backed

2%

0%

Com Mortgage Backed

7%

1%

Cash

0%

0%

*Duration-weighted composition

All returns are as of Aug. 16, 2012

Sources: Morningstar




Core Plus is the most aggressive expression of Baird's very conservative fixed-income strategy. Though the fund isn't limited to cash markets—in other words, the buying and selling of actual bonds—it tends to stay away from those other options, such as derivatives, convertibles, non-dollar denominated securities, and anything else that many bond-fund managers use to goose returns.

"Some advisors have told us we're core plus 'lite,'" she says. But Stanek prefers to describe it as a "what you see is what you get" style of management that's focused on besting the index, but not at the expense of predictable returns. "Isn't that why people invest in bonds in the first place?"

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Dennis Krause runs 218.626 MPH at the Bonneville Salt Flats


Krause posts his fastest time at the Bonneville Salt Flats on Sunday, August 12th

In his third year racing at the Bonneville Salt Flats, Dennis Krause (Krosch Racing) again broke 200 mph in his Ford Mustang. Thus far his top run in 2012 is 218.626 mph and he is aiming for a 230+ mph run before heading back home.
Information about Speed Week on the Bonneville Salt Flats and updated driver speeds are available at: http://www.scta-bni.org/index.html.
Dennis Krause's Mustang at Bonneville 2012
 

Monday, June 25, 2012

Update of 2010 AIM Program Graduate: Matt Pruyn


Matt Pruyn

Matt Pruyn graduated from the AIM program in 2010 and joined Baird following graduation. He recently completed Baird’s Private Wealth Management Development Program and has joined the Wholey & Poitras Group in Chicago. 

The Baird team brings a combination of experience, enthusiasm and a commitment to excellence to their business. With long-time assistant Amy Machairas and new Financial Advisor, Matthew Pruyn, the Group combines outstanding service with timely investment advice.  Their clientele includes professionals, business owners, executives, and retirees.
The Wholey & Poitras Group

Matt focuses on developing and maintaining client relationships. In addition, Matt is expanding the Group’s current offerings in areas such as insurance services and education funding. Matthew graduated from Marquette University with a bachelor’s degree in Finance. At Marquette, Matt was a member of Marquette’s unique Applied Investment Management Program, where he helped manage a portion of the school’s endowment fund. Matt resides in Lake View, where in his spare time he enjoys playing tennis and working out.



Stock Market Winners and Losers Following Obamacare Ruling by Supreme Court


The U.S. Supreme Court will rule this week on the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare") and it is likely to impact the stock market as much as the European debt crisis. There will be likely winners and losers depending upon the outcome (which could be upholding the act, complete striking down of the act or elimination of the individual mandate and while retaining other pieces of the act, such as guaranteed coverage). 


Here are some of the likely winners if Obamacare is upheld: commercial insurers like Aetna (ticker: AET) and Medicaid providers like Centene (ticker: CNC) since it would channel new, funded patients into traditional insurers – with an estimated 20 million Medicaid recipients. Jim Cramer of CNBC suggests that if SCOTUS upholds the law, health care plan providers like UnitedHealth Group (ticker: UNH) and WellPoint (ticker: WLP) or pharmacy benefit managers like Express Scripts (ticker: ESRX) are positioned to make greater profits off the law. 


Additionally, large cap drug companies like Merck (ticker: MRK), Bristol-Myers Squibb (ticker: BMY), and Pfizer (ticker: PFE) are well positioned. Finally, some hospital operators like HCA Holdings (ticker: HCA) would do well because of the lowering of uncompensated hospital care. The hospital and provider sector would probably lose market value if SCOTUS found all or part of the act to be unconstitutional. Firms with the heaviest Medicaid mix would be hurt the most if the entire act or just the law that mandates new individuals into the system is rejected – such as Amerigroup (ticker: AGP), and Molina Healthcare (ticker: MOH).

The worst case scenario for the hospitals and other Medicaid providers is if the Supreme Court eliminates the individual mandate but maintains the remainder of Obamacare. They would be left with the reimbursement cuts, but not the promised entry of new funded customers – meaning the impoverished patients would return to the emergency room and adding to the already high level of bad debts. This includes firms like Tenet Healthcare (ticker: THC), Health Management Associates (ticker: HMA), Community Health Systems (ticker: CYH), and Vanguard Health Systems (ticker: VHS).


If the act is overturned, Cramer says that the shares of firms like Paychex (ticker: PAYX), a provider of payroll, human resources and benefits outsourcing solutions for small to medium-sized businesses, should do well. The other equity segments that could be potential beneficiaries of a decision against Obamacare are medical device makers. The act calls for an excise tax of 2.3% on total medical device revenue by 2013 – which is designed to pay for expanded Medicaid coverage under the law. Among the firms that could to well if the act is removed are Intuitive Surgical (ticker: ISRG), Medtronic (ticker: MDT), and Boston Scientific (ticker: BSX). 


Some believe, such as CNBC’s Cramer, that if the act is struck down, then hiring in the U.S. will increase. He likes large cap firms, such as Wal-Mart (ticker: WMT) or Home Depot (ticker: HD) to be winners in an Obamacare defeat. In any case, the decision this week will not only impact the 2012 presidential and congressional contests, but it will change forecasts on Wall Street.

Friday, June 22, 2012

Krause Prediction: The Supreme Court will decide to uphold the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act


The centerpiece legislation of President Obama and his Administration – the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) – is in the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court. They are soon to rule on the constitutionality of the “individual mandate” which requires U.S. residents to purchase health insurance. The Court could also maintain or drop the other key elements of the law.

Most observers (and the Intrade market) have a greater than 75% probability that the Supreme Court will rule the individual mandate unconstitutional. While it is impossible to know which way the court will vote, I am going out on a limb to predict the mandate and the law will be upheld.

It should be noted that I am not a lawyer, but I believe that those who have challenged the mandate as violating the U.S. Constitution’s Commerce Clause (which grants Congress the authority to regulate interstate commerce) will not prevail. The argument against the mandate is that a person’s decision not to get healthcare coverage is not interstate activity, but rather inactivity, which Congress does not have the right to regulate. The opposing argument – which I think will prevail - is that a decision not to get health coverage has implications for all health plan sponsors, other payors that must cover the cost of compensated care, and health care providers, and does not constitute inactivity.

I believe that Justice Kennedy, who might be the lone centrist on the Court, will uphold – even though experts believe that his questions during oral arguments suggested strongly that he was leaning against the individual mandate’s constitutionality. Chief Justice Roberts might also be a surprise supporter of the law. With this being an election year, he’s well aware that the most pivotal presidential and senate election issue would be whether or not to repel the health care act. He could simply kick the can down the road; something that the European Central Bank has done with the recent sovereign debt issues. His Court already is much criticized for the Citizen's United ruling.

Roberts might also uphold the mandate because the genie is already out of the bottle and that many of the benefits of the Act and its multiyear of reforms have already started being implemented.  The fact that the Act does not contain a “severability” clause, a standard provision in most legislation, will keep the Supreme Court from making piecemeal decisions. Again, I know I’m swimming against the current, but I believe Obama Care will be upheld by the Court – in the upset of 2012! 

Marquette’s AIM program is the oldest undergraduate CFA Program Partner



Since 2006, Marquette’s AIM program has been a partner with the CFA Institute. The AIM program utilizes CFA texts, web content, and speakers to help prepare students to take and pass the CFA exam following graduation.

The CFA Institute partners with globally diverse, high profile institutions who cover a significant portion of the CFA Program Candidate Body of Knowledge™ and who embrace the CFA Institute Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct in their degree programs. Since 2006, Marquette’s AIM program has been a CFA Program Partner.

Recognition as a CFA Program Partner provides a signal to potential students, current students, and the marketplace that the university curriculum is closely tied to professional practice and is well suited to preparing students to sit for the CFA exams.

Partnerships are considered on a case-by-case basis. While there are minimum requirements to submit an application to become a partner, meeting these requirements is not sufficient to achieve a partnership. CFA Institute reserves the right, at its sole discretion, not to approve any application for status as a partner.

CFA Program Partner distribution by region:

  • Asia Pacific − 35 partners in Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand
  • Europe, Middle East, and Africa − 47 partners in Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the United Kingdom
  • The Americas − 58 partners in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Mexico, Peru, the United States, and Venezuela.



Wednesday, June 13, 2012

New Graduates Featured in Marquette Alumni Newsletter

Colleen Osborne, Bus Ad '12, has been hired by the Corporate and Investment Banking division of BNP Paribas, New York, which provides financing, advisory and capital markets services to companies, financial institutions, investment funds and hedge funds worldwide. 

The link to the article is at: http://marquette.edu/alumni/newsletter/2010-13/June12newgrad.shtml.

Coleen was a member of the AIM Class of 2012 that graduated in May.


Friday, June 8, 2012

Krause's Belmont Stakes Predictions


No Triple Crown winner in 2012.


With the scratch of I’ll Have Another, the 2012 Belmont Stakes comes down to either Union Rags or Dullahan. Too bad because it would have been good for the sport to have IHA run for the Triple Crown. Oh well, maybe next year…

Long Shot (20:1) #10 Optimizer. D. Wayne Lukas was kicked in the head this week by one of his horses and is getting up there in age, but Optimizer might sneak into the money. This might be Lukas' last major.  While not a strong horse running in the previous two legs of the Triple Crown, Optimizer should be better at the 1 1/2 mile Belmont track. At 20:1 this would be a nice payout.  Bet WPS #10 and include your exotics.

Best Pick (6:1) #3 Union Rags. This was my pick in the Kentucky Derby and I still like him. Union Rags ran a poor Derby getting blocked deep in the field for most of the race and finished a closing 7th. Union Rags was an unbeaten two year old who lost the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile last fall by a nose. Mistakes by jocky, Julien Leparoux, have resulted in John Velazquez getting the ride. With a winning trainer, Michael Matz, and Seattle Slew bloodlines, I like Union Rags.  The odds won’t stay at 6:1, but I think this is the winner on Saturday in New York. Bet to win.

Solid Pick (5:1) #5 Dullahan. The only reason this is not my top pick for the Belmont is because Hall of Fame jockey, Kent Desormeaux, lost his mount on Dullahan to Javier Castellano. While Belmont is Castellano’s home track, Desormeaux is a proven big race jockey and is not as familiar with the horse. Dullahan, owned by Iowa-based Donegal Racing, was a strong third in the Kentucky Derby and then sat out the Preakness. He should be fresh and ready to run the distance. Look for Union Rags to edge out Dullahan . Bet WPS. 


Good luck - and too bad that we don't have a shot at the Triple Crown this year.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Brady Lands a Big One!

Brady Endl celebrates his graduation from Marquette (MBA '12) with the catch of the day...


PS It's amazing what you can do with Photoshop!

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Krause's Preakness Picks

With graduation weekend at Marquette it has been hard to put out my Preakness picks; however, here goes.


Long Shot (30:1) # 10 Optimizer. D. Wayne Lukas is not getting any younger and this isn't his strongest horses, but the Wisconsin connection might come through one last time. Optimizer might be better at the 1 1/2 mile Belmont track, but at 30:1 I wouldn't be surprised that Lukas' gets his 6th Preakness. WPS #10.


Value Pick (6:1) #5 Went the Day Well. This was my long shot in the Derby and finished a strong 4th - another 1/8 mile and Went the Day Well would have been a big payday. I like the trainer and the jockey...and the horse has been improving steadily. This horse should finish up in the money.


Best Horse (8:5) #7 Bodemeister. Baffert says this horse is ready and won't give up the late lead like he did in the Kentucky Derby. Baffert indicates that Bodemesiter has trained well the past two weeks and is ready to go.  Like Lukas, Baffert is looking for his 6th Preakness and I think at the end of the day he'll have it.


Nice field for the Preakness and the weather looks fine. Enjoy the races ---- and graduation! Good luck.



Thursday, May 17, 2012

HANK AARON IS THE 2012 COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER AT MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY



Baseball great Hank Aaron will be Marquette University’s Commencement speaker at this year’s spring ceremony. 




As part of the ceremony, Aaron will receive an honorary doctor of humane letters degree. Aaron holds many of baseball's most distinguished records and continued to work on behalf of racial equality and civil rights after his major league career ended.









Thursday, May 3, 2012

Krause's Kentucky Derby Picks 2012 (Updated)

It is Kentucky Derby weekend and here again are my picks!  I see strong similarities to handicapping horses and selecting individual common stocks – quantitative evaluation of past performance, assessment of management, and peer comparison. And like the stock market, the outcome of a horse race is often times greatly influenced by unexpected events.

So be forewarned that, like stock picking, the Derby is a tough race to handicap because of the large field and the lack of a clear favorite. Also, the weather for Saturday afternoon is somewhat uncertain with a 40% chance of thunderstorms.... nevertheless, here goes.

Value Pick: #14 Hansen (10:1). What I like most about this pick is the jockey, Ramon Dominguez. He is the 2010 and 2011 Eclipse Award winner for Outstanding Jockey and has twice led the nation in number of victories. He has two Breeders' Cup wins – including the 2011 Breeders' Cup Juvenile (aboard Hansen). While he can go the distance and likes to lead, he did fade to second in the Blue Grass. He is coming off a four week layout and should be sharp for the Derby. I also love the Secretariat bloodline via Storm Cat. The 14 post was a good draw and I see Hansen as a nice value pick at 10:1. And, yes, he'll be an easy horse to follow during the race! WPS bet on #10.

Long-shot: #13 Went the Day Well (20:1). Here's a speed horse that could surprise if the big field groups together. Went the Day Well is ridden by John Velazquez, trained by Graham Motion, and owned by Team Valor - the same combination that won last year’s Kentucky Derby with Animal Kingdom.  He has a good post position and also has a distant Secretariat bloodline. He has not run against many strong horses and is coming off a six week layoff, but could be this year’s Giacomo or Mine That Bird. Might be a good horse to include in some of the exotics especially since he could go off at more than 20:1 at post time. 




Best Horse: #4 Union Rags (9:2). Union Rags was an unbeaten two year old who lost the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile last fall by a nose to Hansen. This could be ‘the’ horse in 2012 – and maybe one with a good shot to win the Triple Crown. The unfortunate draw of the 4 post along with a third in the Florida Derby will likely keep the odds high enough on race day to make for a good payout. Excellent jockey, Julien Leparoux, and a winning trainer, Michael Matz, make this a very strong entry in the run for the roses. If he can survive the rodeo-like start of the Derby from an inside post position, he might be wearing the roses. Win bet on #4.    




Horse with Best Investment Name: #11 Alpha (12:1). You’d think the 11 post would be a great draw for a speed horse, but Alpha is a very nervous and volatile horse who will be loaded first. While Alpha is lightning fast, he is known for being fractious in the gate. He’s been able to get out of early race troubles before, but this time he won’t be able to make up for a poor start in a twenty horse field with a grueling and demanding pace. If you are seeking investment alpha, you won’t likely get excess return from Alpha.  



Good luck and bet responsibly.

Monday, April 30, 2012

Make a Difference - Wisconsin. 4th Annual Investment Conference: May 9, 2012


The CFA Society of Milwaukee is proud to sponsor the 4th AnnualMake A Difference - Wisconsin Investment Conference.  This is a must-attend event for CFAs and we're excited to see another impressive line-up of speakers.  

The keynote speaker will be Jim Chanos, President and Founder of Kynikos Associates, the largest investment firm devoted exclusively to short selling.  Throughout his career, he anticipated many corporation disasters, including Boston Chicken, Sunbeam, Tyco International; and most famously, his ENRON short -- which Barron's called "the market call of the decade, if not the past fifty years."         

All proceeds from this conference benefit financial literacy education for area youth through Make A Difference - Wisconsin.  The CFA Society of Milwaukee is proud to partner with this wonderful organization!



Final Round of AIM Equity Presentations to be Held in AIM Room on Friday, May 1st at 10 am











AIM Equity Presentations on Friday, May 1st
10:00 am (AIM  Room)
Student Presenter
Company Name
Ticker
Sector
Kobe Park
Barclays PLC ADR
BCS
Intl Financial Services
Atena Liu
Clicksoftware
CKSW
Intl Information Technology
Timothy Maturo
Robbins & Myers Inc.
RBN
Industrials
Varun Varma
Assured Guaranty Ltd.
AGO
Intl Financial Services


The write-ups will be posted on Tuesday, May 1st at: http://business.marquette.edu/centers-and-programs/aimp-student-equity-write-ups