Being the Local Host of the CFA Institute Research Challenge (the Challenge), CFA Society Hong Kong would like to seek our members’ interests to serve as the industry graders.
The Challenge is an annual initiative designed to promote best practices in equity research among the next generation of analysts. This is a competition between university-sponsored Teams that research a designated publicly traded company, prepare a Written Report on that selected company and then present their findings to a panel of Judges. There are three levels: Local, Regional, and Global. Winners at the Local level advance to compete against Teams within their geographic region at the Regional level. Winning Teams at the Regional level advance to compete at the Global level.
One Team is designated the ultimate winning Team at the Global level. All participants are introduced to and held to the standard of the CFA Institute Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct.
Each team consisting of 3-5 students (may consist of both full-time / part-time undergraduate and graduate students) are assigned an industry mentor who mentors the team during the research process, reviews and critiques the team’s company analysis report.
Graders will review and critique the written research reports for the Hong Kong Local Final of the Challenge. Graders may be analysts, portfolio managers, or other professionals with experience in either preparing or reading sell-side research. As a grader, you will review reports and score them according to a predetermined point system. Each grader may review 5-8 investment research reports and score each section and provide constructive comments to the teams on their reports.
We are now looking for volunteer graders who are:
- preferably sell-side analysts with 5 years of working experience (preferably CFA charterholders)
- with the enthusiasm to promote ethical decision-making to the next generation of financial professionals
It’s a great opportunity to give back to the next generation of analysts. The majority of these students have never written a research report before, and your comments are invaluable to them. Graders will be entitled to obtain 6-8 CPT credit hours (depends on the number of reports to be graded and the hours are recognized by The Securities and Futures Commission) for the year of 2024.
Timeline of report submission and scoring
| 4 Jan 2024 | Students to submit research reports |
| 5-18 Jan 2024 (2 weeks) | Graders to review and score the reports |
| 18 Jan 2024 | Graders complete scoring |
The success of the annual Research Challenge depends on our volunteers to contribute their time and expertise. We have 23 teams from 13 universities of Hong Kong and Macau participating in the Hong Kong Final of the Challenge.
If you are interested in being one of our volunteer industry graders, please click here to provide us with some details about your professional experience on or before Friday, 8 December 2023, more details about the event will be followed later.
CFA Institute Research Challenge – How does it work?
Local-level competitions are organized and judged by CFA Institute society members and volunteers who function as local hosts. CFA Society Hong Kong has been the local host since 2005.
The Society will work with universities in Hong Kong and Macau to assemble teams of three to five undergraduate and/or graduate students. Teams research and analyze a designated publicly-traded company; prepare a written report on the company that supports a buy, sell, or hold recommendation; receive advice and support from a faculty advisor and an industry mentor; and present and defend their findings to a panel of industry experts.
View the Official Rules
Benefits of Participation
Receive in-depth training in equity analysis, research report writing, and presentation skills
Receive hands-on mentoring
Develop your resume / CV
Network with industry professionals and peers from other universities, paving the way for career opportunities
Elevate your university’s reputation on a global scale
Contributions from Industry Professionals
By joining as a mentor, grader, or judge, you play a key role in promoting the highest standards of ethics, education, and professional excellence both for the students and, ultimately, for the Society. It provides an excellent opportunity to offer guidance, direction, suggestions, and feedback to student teams participating in the challenge.
Please stay tuned for further announcements.
Sponsorship Opportunity
Sponsors’ involvement is crucial for the success of the competition.
Please email us at info@cfahk.org or +852 2521 2543.