Report
Your report must include:
1. Traders’ log: Each student will keep a log of each transaction executed for the active portfolio (keep it continuously throughout the Fall semester!). The log should contain a brief analysis that describes:
· The exact transactions you made.
· The transaction costs you incurred.
· Select 5 of your best and 5 of your worst transactions. Briefly describe what motivated the transaction. Were your expectations correct? Describe what you learned about the assets you bought or sold.
· A list of significant events during the week that affected your portfolio.
· The performance of the overall stock market (S&P 500/Nasdaq), as a potential benchmark.
2. A performance assessment (discuss your performance both in terms of risk and return!).
· A performance summary of your portfolio.
· A comparison of your portfolio and the overall market (use S&P 500).
· Reasons for differences in performance.
3. A critique of your active portfolio.
· What worked, what didn’t work, why?
· Were transaction costs important?
· Since the semester is so short, most investment objectives do not fit into this period. Include a discussion of how the portfolio should be managed in the future.
Grading
The emphasis for the project is on your education and not on portfolio return. I discourage students from taking excessive risks, and measure your performance on a risk adjusted basis.
The points described above should serve as guidelines. Unexpected or interesting events could occur during the trading period. Your analysis of the impact of such events on your portfolio performance will make your report more informative.
The written report should not exceed 8 pages. Keep in mind that it is the quality and not the quantity that matters.