MFIN 517 – Advanced Fixed Income (Spring 2023)
Group Presentations
I. Introduction
Keeping up with current trends in fixed income is essential for investors who want to make
informed decisions and maximize their returns. Some current trends in the fixed-income market
include the use of derivative in fixed income markets, availability of bond market data, investment
companies (mutual funds, ETFs) and how they solve several complexities in the fixed income
market to offer practical solutions to investors. The goal of this assessment is to gain a quick grasp
of these trends and make smart investment decisions.
Presentations are 15 minutes long to be given at the beginning of class. Students are required to
work as a group. Students are divided into 10 groups (4 students in each group). Each group is
required to do one presentation. Presentation topics and schedules are outlined below.
Each group member should sign up for a time slot and pick one topic to present using the Google
Sheet available on Blackboard. To do this, enter the team member’s names in the day/topic you
are interested in presenting. Please be advised that different groups cannot select the same
topic so the topic/day selection is based on a first serve first basis.
II. Tentative Topics
Monday, April 24
• Central bank liquidity swaps (US)
https://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/bst_liquidityswaps.htm
• Central bank liquidity lines (ECB)
https://www.ecb.europa.eu/mopo/implement/liquidity_lines/html/index.en.html
Wednesday, April 26
• Yield curve data (US)
https://www.federalreserve.gov/data/nominal-yield-curve.htm
• Yield curve data (UK or ECB)
https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/statistics/yield-curves
https://www.ecb.europa.eu/stats/financial_markets_and_interest_rates/euro_area_yield_c
urves/html/index.en.html
Wednesday, May 3
• Investment Companies – Vanguard, PIMCO, Blackrock.
• Investment Companies – Active vs Passive Funds
https://russellinvestments.com/us/blog/active-vs-passive-use-fixed-income
https://www.pimco.co.uk/en-gb/resources/video-library/media/active-versus-passive-
investing-why-bonds-are-different
Page 1 of 2
Monday, May 8
• Bond liquidity – Amihud illiquity measure
https://breakingdownfinance.com/finance-topics/alternative-investments/amihud-
illiquidity-measure/
• Bond risk – Credit Default Swaps (CDS)
https://www.pimco.com/gbl/en/resources/education/understanding-credit-default-
swaps#:~:text=In%20a%20CDS%2C%20one%20party,technically%2C%20a%20credit
%20event).
Wednesday, May 10
• Market anomalies: value, and momentum factors
https://alphaarchitect.com/2021/01/value-and-momentum-and-investment-anomalies/
• Factor investing: smart beta strategies
https://www.ssga.com/investment-topics/smart-beta/2016/Get-Smart-Extend-Smart-Beta-
to-Fixed-Income-Investing_29062016.pdf
III. Presentation Structure
Use visual aids such as slides or graphs to help illustrate your points. Practice your presentation
beforehand to ensure you stay within the 15-minute time limit.
Introduction
Briefly introduce the specific topic your group will be presenting on.
Background
Provide some background information on your specific topic, including its history and any
relevant terminology.
Key Points
Discuss the main points of your presentation. These may include:
The benefits and drawbacks of a particular type of fixed-income security
The impact of interest rates on fixed-income investments
Examples
Provide examples to illustrate your main points. These may include real-world examples
of fixed-income investments.
Conclusion
Summarize the main points of your presentation and reiterate why your topic is important
in the fixed-income market.
Q&A
Allow time for questions from the audience and be prepared to answer them.
Page 2 of 2
