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Finance

Advanced Portfolio Management

Quantitative Investing in Practice.

17.5h (5 days)

€1,470

Face-to-face

English

Next edition: July 12-16, 2027

Early Bird deadline: April 15, 2027

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Finance

Advanced Portfolio Management

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Who is this Course for?

Advanced Portfolio Management

Course overview

This course covers the theory and practice of advanced portfolio management, from Markowitz to machine learning. Participants will learn to formulate and solve portfolio choice problems on real data and to tackle the practical challenges and opportunities that arise in this process: incorporating portfolio constraints stemming from regulation or investor preferences, dealing with downside risk, accounting for estimation error in model inputs, leveraging big data and AI to predict returns, and exploiting the factor structure of asset returns.

Advanced portfolio management is relevant today because modern financial markets are increasingly complex and data-intensive. Traditional diversification and mean–variance techniques, while foundational, produce portfolios that are concentrated, unstable, and disappointing out of sample. Today’s asset managers complement them with downside risk measures, robust portfolio optimization methods, Bayesian inference, machine learning techniques, and factor investing.

Each day pairs a lecture with a hands-on Python session, so participants will develop practical expertise in portfolio optimization and data-driven investment that they can apply immediately.

Faculty

Who is this course for?

This course is designed for:

Finance Professionals
Portfolio Managers
Investment Analysts
Graduate Students

who want to deepen their understanding of cutting-edge portfolio management techniques. It is particularly suited for those who wish to:

Develop advanced skills in risk management and portfolio optimization
Apply machine learning and big data methods to investment decisions
Gain hands-on experience with factor models, optimization exercises, and real-world case studies
Prepare for the challenges of managing portfolios in dynamic, complex, and data-driven financial markets

Learning outcomes

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

Apply advanced portfolio construction techniques beyond traditional theory, including tail-risk, robust, and Bayesian portfolio methods, factor investing, and AI-driven investing
Use Python to perform data-driven portfolio analysis, from return forecasting to portfolio optimization under real-world constraints
Integrate academic research and industry practice to make evidence-based investment decisions

Key topics for Advanced Portfolio Management course

Take a look at the course outline below.

Course outline

Markowitz Revisited: Portfolio Optimization with Real-World Constraints
Downside Risk
Robust Portfolio Construction and Bayesian Methods
Factor Investing
AI-Driven Investing: Machine Learning for Return Prediction and Portfolio Construction

List of References

Here is a list of texts that may help you prepare for the course.

Recommended Texts

Ang, A. (2014). Asset Management: A Systematic Approach to Factor Investing. Oxford University Press. (Chapter 14)
Fabozzi, F. J., Kolm, P. N., Pachamanova, D. A., & Focardi, S. M. (2007). Robust Portfolio Optimization and Management. John Wiley & Sons.
Kelly, B., Malamud, S., & Zhou, K. (2024). The virtue of complexity in return prediction. Journal of Finance, 79(1), 459–503.
Kelly, B., & Xiu, D. (2023). Financial machine learning. Foundations and Trends in Finance, 13(3–4), 205–363.
Palomar, D. P. (2025). Portfolio Optimization: Theory and Application. Cambridge University Press.
Rockafellar, R. T., & Uryasev, S. (2002). Conditional value-at-risk for general loss distributions. Journal of Banking & Finance, 26(7), 1443–1471.

Why Join our Summer School?

All BSE Summer courses are taught to the same high standard as our Master’s programs. Join us to:

1

Network with like-minded peers

2

Study in vibrant Barcelona

3

Learn from world-renowned faculty

Admissions and Requirements

All BSE Summer School applicants must meet the entrance requirements.

Next edition: July 12-16, 2027

Early Bird deadline: April 15, 2027

Requirements

Summer School applicants normally demonstrate one or more of the following:

A strong background in Economics or a field closely related to the course topic (Statistics, Law, etc.)
Postgraduate degree or current Master’s/PhD studies related to the course topic
Relevant professional experience

Requirements for Advanced Portfolio Management

A basic understanding of statistics and calculus is required.
Familiarity with portfolio theory and asset pricing is recommended but not essential.

Schedule

Here is your schedule for this edition of BSE Finance Summer School, Advanced Portfolio Management course.

Time

12

mon

13

tue

14

wed

15

thu

16

fri

09:00-11:00

Lecture

16:15-17:45

Practical

Credit Transfers (ECTS)

Students wishing to do a credit transfer will take an exam during the afternoon session on the last day. The exam will consist of general questions covering the basic contents of the course.

Consult the Summer School Admissions page for more information about this option.

Certificate of Attendance

Participants who attend more than 80% of the course will receive a Certificate of Attendance, free of charge.

Course

Advanced Portfolio Management

Private Equity and Private Credit: Deal Structuring, Recapitalizations, and Exit Strategies

Modality

Face-to-face

Total Hours

17.5

ECTS

1

Regular Fee

€1,470

Reduced Fee*

€840

* Reduced Fee applies for PhD or Master’s students, Alumni of BSE Master’s programs, and participants who are unemployed.

Multiple discounts are available.

For more information on discounts for participants funding their own course, please click here.

For more information on discounts for companies and institutions enrolling their employees, please click here.

Full discount conditions are available here.

FAQ

Here are some commonly asked questions by participants. Any further queries, please contact our Admissions Team.

Can I see the full Summer School calendar?

You can view the full Summer School calendar here.

Is accommodation included in the course fee?

Accommodation is not included in the course fee. Participants are responsible for finding accommodation.

Are the sessions recorded?

Sessions will NOT be recorded; however, the materials provided by the professor will be available for a month after the course has finished.

How much does each Summer School course cost?

Fees for each course may vary. Please consult each course page for accurate information.

Are there any discounts available?

Yes, BSE offers a variety of discounts on its Summer School courses. See more information about available discounts or request a personalized discount quote by email.

Can I take more than one course?

Yes! you can combine any of the Summer School courses (schedule permitting). See the full course calendar.

Cancelation and Refund Policy

Please consult BSE Summer School policies for more information.

Are there any evening activities during the course?

Yes, a social dinner is held once a week for all participants, it is free to attend.

Contact our Admissions Team

Mix and match your summer courses!

Remember that you can combine Finance Summer School courses with courses in any of the other BSE Summer School programs (schedule permitting). Maximise your learning this summer and take advantage of our multiple-course discount.

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