This 4-hour course provides a comprehensive understanding of the sources and approaches to analyse market, economic, political and industry’s risks trends and developments and their implications on the business by applying these knowledge and information to align with opportunities, including the use of quantitative methods to evaluate the trends and developments and their overall impact on the financial sector and institutions.

• Bankers and Relationship Managers in Financial Services Industry, e.g., Insurance, Private Banking, Wealth and Asset Management
• Middle office and research functions in the Financial Services Industry
• Covered persons under the Financial Sector Code of Conduct who may be interested

• Harness the knowledge of market trends and factors driving the financial services sector and articulate the changes in the client and/or market circumstances
• Analyse and interpret the market and industry risk trends and developments both locally and internationally by identifying tools and sources of information, to maintain awareness of impacts
• Align and customise market and industry risk trends and implications with products and services based on their clients and organizational needs and
• Evaluate market and industry trend decisions for overall impact to the organisation

Introduction and Backdrop

• Key foundational requirements to support the achievement of the learning outcomes

Risks, trends and developments of the relevant market and industry

• General overview of market environments including crisis periods like today’s pandemic, market regime changes, mega- and micro-trends posing challenges and opportunities in the financial markets including lessons learnt and how to capitalise on them
• Case studies and examples (local and international) will be illustrated and discussed

Alignment opportunities with market and industry

• How these trends and developments can be understood and aligned to the products and services to be provided to their clients and businesses, e.g., model portfolios, structured / customised ESG-centric ETFs, data-driven quantitative funds, etc.
• Case studies and examples, e.g., a sample selection of trends and signals shaping the future of finance, will be discussed
• Other examples of short and medium-term trends and developments, e.g., economic and political trends impacting markets
• e.g., Green wave, Biden era and priorities, etc.

Quantitative methods for evaluation of trends and developments

• Use of AI/ML and advanced data analytics harnessing qualitative and alternative data as well as financial and economic modelling, etc.
• How their findings and outputs can yield actionable insights for decision-making with regards to overall impact on their organisations.
• Case studies and examples will be illustrated, etc.

Assessment - MCQ