Start of selection for the HSE team to participate in the CFA Institute Research Challenge 2020/21

Fourth year Bachelor’s students, first or second year Master’s students and MBA students are invited to take part in CFA Institute Research Challenge, an annual international competition in financial analysis held by CFA Institute among student teams.

Every year, students from leading universities around the world compete for the title of the best financial analysis student team. More than 30 universities from all over Russia, as well as universities from Belarus and Azerbaidzhan, took part in CFA Insitute Research Challenge (CFA IRC) 2019/20.

As part of the CFA IRC competition, teams under the guidance of a mentor prepare and then present to the jury an investment recommendation in regard of the shares policy of a well-known public company.

Based on the results of local competitions, the best team from each country (two teams will go from Russia) first goes to the EMEA regional semifinal, then to the EMEA regional final and after that to the global final. HSE Team consistently takes high places at the Russian CFA IRC stage and on numerous occasions has represented Russia at the international competition stages, including Amsterdam, Chicago, and Prague. Last year, the the EMEA regional semifinal which our team also went to, was scheduled in Jordan, but took place online.

This season, the competition will be held entirely remotely at the Zoom.

Participation in the competition will enable you to:

• make your theoretical knowledge applied;
• gain a clear understanding of all the stages of investment analysis;
• learn from the investment professionals’ experience;
• meet the representatives of other universities and countries;
• improve your public speaking and team work skills.

Requirements for a candidate:

• to be familiar with the fundamentals of financial and investment analysis and corporate finance,
• to be fluent in English;
• to be self-confident and eager to become a member of the Team.

Application and selection steps

Send your application to bank@hse.ru before October 4, 2020. In the subject line, please indicate "CFA Insitute Research Challenge 2020/21".

The application has to include the following documents in English:

1. CV;

2. Motivation letter explaining why it is important for you to take part in the competition and why you can be a valuable member of HSE Team;

3. Presentation with 3 slides with a mini-analysis and a “buy”/ “hold” / “sell” recommendation  for a public company of your choice.

Applicants who successfully passed Stage I will be invited for an online interview, where they will be expected to present the following:

1. A short self-presentation;

2. Results of the mini-analysis of the public company chosen at Stage I.

After Stage II, 5 students will be nominated for the HSE Team and will enjoy the unique opportunity of participating in an international competition. All HSE Team members will benefit from getting hands-on experience of doing financial analysis and making investment decisions.