Jeffrey Meli
Teaching
In my teaching I leverage both my academic training and my experience as a practitioner. I focus on how to combine tools and concepts from finance, econometrics, and economics to solve real-world problems faced by analysts and investors.
Research On Wall Street
From its origins in the 1960s, to the swashbuckling days of the dot-com boom, up to today, research has long been an integral part of investment banking. This course will introduce students to the dynamic world of the research analyst. We will begin with the business of securities research. Students will learn how market structure, technology, and regulation have shaped the commercial purpose of the research analyst over time and across asset classes. Topics to be covered include the origins of modern equity research, research support of IPOs and its contribution to the dot-com bubble, the sell-side versus the buy-side, fixed income research, and the challenge posed by the rise of AI. The second part of the course will explore the craft of research. Through a series of case studies, students will learn to apply the tools of financial economics to real-world problems faced by analysts. We will learn the techniques analysts use for making recommendations, and their use (and abuse) of concepts from investments, corporate finance, and valuation. Special topics will include the rise of new “alternative” data alongside traditional accounting and financial data, and the analysis of emerging technologies and new products.
Managing Investment Funds
Managing Investment Funds is a two-semester class in which students will gain hands-
on experience with all aspects of portfolio management. The class is collectively
responsible for managing the Michael Price Student Investment Fund (MPSIF), an
endowment fund with AUM close to $3mm. This class will be the flagship course of the
finance department’s new initiative on hedge funds, which is part of a broader program
focused on enhancing career opportunities for students at alternative investment
firms. This course is practitioner-based, demanding and rigorous. There is a heavy
course load associated with the class, and admission is by application only (transcript,
CV and max 250 word statement of interest). All interested students are encouraged to
apply but must have met the prerequisite requirements.
Students will make asset allocation, security selection, and risk management decisions,
and will be responsible for monitoring and reporting on fund performance. The class is
designed to be experiential. In place of exams and homework, the students will be
judged based on their contribution to the investment management process (investment
analysis and pitches, implementation of portfolio management concepts, and ability to
work as a team). Class time will be comprised of a mix of lectures delivered by the
instructor and by outside speakers from industry, student-led deep dives into specific
portfolio management topics, and Investment Committee meetings, in which students
will present investment ideas, make (and implement) investment recommendations, and
actively manage their portfolios. Importantly, while the investments are subject to
specific restrictions on the type of investments allowable within MPSIF, the sub-funds
will implement a variety of investment styles, including, but not limited to, fundamental
stock selection. Each student will be part of two groups. The first is the Investment
Committee of one of four sub-funds of the endowment; each has a specific investment
style (e.g., fixed income, thematic equities, etc...) and benchmark. The second is a
working group dedicated to a specific aspect of portfolio management (e.g., risk
management, reporting and attribution). These groups will be responsible for developing
and/or advancing the building blocks for portfolio management that will be used by the
underlying funds.
Part I
In the fall semester, students will first learn the basics of portfolio management,
including how to structure investment pitches, how to assess risk and return
characteristics for proposed investments (at the level of both individual investments and
for the broader portfolio), how to size trades, and how to manage ongoing investments.
Students will be responsible for lectures to the full class on their assigned investment
style, determine the workstreams they need to identify and implement investment ideas,
and begin the process of allocating capital.
Part II
In the spring semester, students will continue the process of managing their investment
funds and will focus on their portfolio management deliverables. By the end of the
semester these will be fully implemented, and students will document their investments,
PM contributions, and the performance of the overall fund and the various sub-funds in
an Annual Report, delivered to the Advisory Board of the Fund.