A Day In The Life Of A Senior Investment Manager At A Global Investment Firm
A senior investment manager's day involves a dynamic mix of activities; it begins with "portfolio review" focusing on overnight performance and news impacting investments, followed by deeper dives into company financials, model updates, and earnings calls. This is balanced by a keen awareness of "macro perspective," considering central bank policies and industry trends gleaned from conferences and research to inform strategic portfolio adjustments.
Financial Analysis, Portfolio Management, Market Research, Economic Policy, Investment Strategy
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Vasant Mehta
Senior Investment Manager
Global Investment Management Company
U.C. Berkeley
Johns Hopkins University : M.A. International Economics and European Studies
Political Science, American Studies
Finance (Banking, Fintech, Investing)
Finance
Honors Student
Video Highlights
1. A Senior Investment Manager's day involves a thorough portfolio review, analyzing overnight performance and identifying contributing factors.
2. They continuously monitor news and research impacting their investments, considering company-specific events and broader market trends.
3. The role combines detailed financial analysis, such as reviewing company financials and earnings reports, with a focus on larger economic factors and industry trends through conferences and news.
Transcript
What does a day in the life of a senior investment manager look like?
There's no standard set day in terms of repetition and what takes place, but there are certain commonalities. The beginning of the day generally starts with a few items that are done fairly regularly.
One is the portfolio review. You have the portfolio where you are invested. One of the first things we look at in the morning is what happened in terms of the performance of the fund overnight.
We assess which positions worked, which didn't, and what contributed to the profit or loss of the fund. Most importantly, we determine why. Was it just a market move affecting all instruments, or was there something company-specific?
In addition to reviewing the portfolio, we also review the news flow related to it. Was there anything overnight concerning the company, either issued by the company itself or by someone else? Did a competitor release something with a potential impact?
We also look at research from the street or a broker that might be pertinent, even if not relevant today, but could be down the line.
Then, from a big macro perspective, we look at the policy world. Has there been anything from central banks regarding monetary policy or interest rates? Or anything from the government concerning fiscal policy that might impact the sector where you have an investment?
You need to consider all of this to see if it has relevance going forward and adjust the portfolio accordingly if you anticipate an impact.
After that, it's a case of doing the nitty-gritty. This includes going through the financials of the business and updating financial models. If it's earnings season, we listen into earnings calls and review earnings reports.
We also attend industry conferences to hear about longer-term themes. It's a combination of things that might be considered more mundane, but are nonetheless important. There are also externally focused items like conferences and news flow that may have a bigger picture impact on the business.