Universities
CFA Research Challenge
About the Research Challenge
The CFA Institute Research Challenge is an annual global competition that provides university students with hands-on mentoring and intensive training in financial analysis. Students gain real-world experience as they assume the role of a research analyst and are tested on their ability to value a stock, write an initiation-of-coverage report, and present their recommendations.
How it Works
CFA Institute member societies, like CFA Society North Carolina, and volunteers make this annual competition possible.
Levels of Competition
Students work in teams to research and analyze a publicly traded stock — sometimes even meeting face-to-face with company management. Each team produces an initiation-of-coverage report on their assigned stock with a buy, sell, or hold recommendation and may be asked to present and defend their thesis to a panel of industry veterans.
The winning team from CFA Society North Carolina competition advances to the Americas regional competition hosted by CFA Institute.
The winner from the Americas regional competition will advance to the Global Final, where one team will emerge as the global champion of the CFA Institute Research Challenge.
| October 10 | Kick-Off Call |
| October 25 | Company Presentation (Raleigh) |
| Next 10 days | Preliminary Research |
| November 8 | Questions due to Matt Underwood |
| TBA |
Conference Call with |
| October 24 | Deadline for Registering with CFA Institute |
| Jan 17, 2020 | 1st Draft Due to Mentor |
| Jan 24, 2020 | Final Draft |
| Interim |
Report Grading |
| Feb 8, 2020 | Top Teams Presenting Announced |
| Feb 22, 2020 | Local Final Presentations |
| April 20-22, 2020 | Regional Final/Global Final (New York City) |
Click HERE to view the PPT from the Kick-Off Call.
For additional information on preparing for the Research Challenge click HERE.
Volunteers Needed for CFA Institute Research Challenge hosted in North Carolina
The CFA Institute Research Challenge is an educational initiative in which leading industry professionals actively promote best practices in securities research to students from the world's top business schools. Over the course of the competition, university teams are mentored by industry professionals in writing an equity research report on a publicly-traded company. Each level of the Research Challenge culminates in a presentation and defense of that research to a panel of investment industry experts, who select the best presentation. The winning teams advance to participate in Regional competitions hosted in Asia Pacific, EMEA, and the Americas.
Industry Mentors
Your role as an industry mentor is to impart a "real-world" industry perspective into the students' theoretical knowledge base. Industry Mentors should not be responsible for teaching students how to perform specific analysis. Industry Mentors will review the team's written work and presentation. They will provide comments only.
Industry Mentors should be CFA charterholders with at least 5 years of experience in a position focusing on company analysis. Contact with the students is limited to six hours total prior to submitting the written report plus an additional two hours for each of the local, regional, or global finals in which the team participates.
Industry Mentors receive 1 CE credit and 1 SER credit
Graders
Your role as a grader is to review and critique the written research reports from 4 teams. You will be given a 3 week time period to review them. You will score each section and provide constructive comments to the teams on their reports based on a predetermined point system. The time you spend will vary, but an estimate is 2 hours per report.
Graders are analysts, portfolio managers, or other professionals with experience in either preparing or reading sell-side research.
Graders receive 4 CE credits
Judges
Your role as a judge is to listen to the student presentations (10 minutes in length), quiz the students on their research and recommendation, and evaluate them accordingly. No advance preparation is needed.
The commitment for the position is as a judge on a panel on the day of the presentations. The presentations run from 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM, lunch is provided, with the announcement of the winning team following.
Judges receive 4 CE credits
Timekeepers
Your role as a Timekeeper is to sit in on the presentations to time and provide a "One Minute" warning to the presenting team. The time commitment is 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM on the day of presentations.
Ushers
Your role as an Usher is to organize the teams assigned to your room, ensuring they are ready to go once the Timekeeper indicates the Judges are ready for the next presentation. Ushers ensure that the upcoming team quietly waits their turn and cannot hear any other presentations. Ushers also ensure that no one enters the presentation room once a team has started. The time commitment is 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM on the day of presentations..
If you are interested in volunteering please contact Sheri Gillette.