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CFA Society North Carolina

 

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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.

Research Challenge Timeline

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.

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