Investment Management with Python and Machine Learning Specialization

The practice of investment management has been transformed in recent years by computational methods. This course provides an introduction to the underlying science, with the aim of giving you a thorough understanding of that scientific basis. However, instead of merely explaining the science, we help you build on that foundation in a practical manner, with an emphasis on the hands-on implementation of those ideas in the Python programming language.

This course is the first in a four course specialization in Data Science and Machine Learning in Asset Management but can be taken independently. In this course, we cover the basics of Investment Science, and we'll build practical implementations of each of the concepts along the way. We'll start with the very basics of risk and return and quickly progress to cover a range of topics including several Nobel Prize winning concepts. We'll cover some of the most popular practical techniques in modern, state of the art investment management and portfolio construction. As we cover the theory and math in lecture videos, we'll also implement the concepts in Python, and you'll be able to code along with us so that you have a deep and practical understanding of how those methods work. By the time you are done, not only will you have a foundational understanding of modern computational methods in investment management, you'll have practical mastery in the implementation of those methods.

The practice of investment management has been transformed in recent years by computational methods. Instead of merely explaining the science, we help you build on that foundation in a practical manner, with an emphasis on the hands-on implementation of those ideas in the Python programming language. In this course, we cover the estimation, of risk and return parameters for meaningful portfolio decisions, and also introduce a variety of state-of-the-art portfolio construction techniques that have proven popular in investment management and portfolio construction due to their enhanced robustness.

As we cover the theory and math in lecture videos, we'll also implement the concepts in Python, and you'll be able to code along with us so that you have a deep and practical understanding of how those methods work. By the time you are done, not only will you have a foundational understanding of modern computational methods in investment management, you'll have practical mastery in the implementation of those methods. If you follow along and implement all the lab exercises, you will complete the course with a powerful toolkit that you will be able to use to perform your own analysis and build your own implementations and perhaps even use your newly acquired knowledge to improve on current methods.

This course will enable you mastering machine-learning approaches in the area of investment management. It has been designed by two thought leaders in their field, Lionel Martellini from EDHEC-Risk Institute and John Mulvey from Princeton University. Starting from the basics, they will help you build practical skills to understand data science so you can make the best portfolio decisions.

The course will start with an introduction to the fundamentals of machine learning, followed by an in-depth discussion of the application of these techniques to portfolio management decisions, including the design of more robust factor models, the construction of portfolios with improved diversification benefits, and the implementation of more efficient risk management models. We have designed a 3-step learning process: first, we will introduce a meaningful investment problem and see how this problem can be addressed using statistical techniques. Then, we will see how this new insight from Machine learning can complete and improve the relevance of the analysis. You will have the opportunity to capitalize on videos and recommended readings to level up your financial expertise, and to use the quizzes and Jupiter notebooks to ensure grasp of concept. At the end of this course, you will master the various machine learning techniques in investment management.