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Description

Active Portfolio Management: Construction, Rebalancing and Performance Measurement

Active management is defended through a transparent investment process and performance that can be explained

  • 2 days — 14 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Intermediate
  • Up to 6 participants

Active management is under pressure from index funds and from investors who expect clear justification of the fees charged. Portfolio managers must show that their deviations from the benchmark stem from a deliberate, owned process. Yet reporting often remains descriptive and struggles to isolate the real sources of performance.

These two days provide the tools to run an active mandate. You work on portfolio construction and relative risk monitoring, then on performance attribution so that a deviation can be explained to an investment committee or an institutional client.

Learning objectives

  • Formalise an investment process and its decision rules
  • Build a portfolio consistent with a chosen benchmark
  • Measure relative risk and risk contributions within the portfolio
  • Perform a performance attribution and draw a management commentary from it
  • Explain investment choices before an investment committee

What makes this programme different

An investment process formalised end to end during the session
A performance attribution worked through on a live case portfolio
A management commentary drafted and then tested against committee questions

Programme

1Foundations of active management

What you are trying to beat

  • Sources of market inefficiency and their limits
  • Choosing a benchmark and an investment universe
  • Active management compared with index management
  • Mandate constraints and risk budget

2The investment process

From conviction to a position in the portfolio

  • Top-down and bottom-up analysis
  • Building convictions and sizing positions
  • Entry and exit rules
  • Traceability of investment decisions

3Relative risk and portfolio construction

Keeping the deviation under control

  • Tracking error and active risk
  • Diversification and concentration of active bets
  • Regulatory constraints and internal limits
  • Monitoring sector and geographic exposures

4Measuring and explaining performance

Accounting for your management decisions

  • Risk-adjusted performance indicators
  • Performance attribution by allocation and by selection
  • Impact of fees on net performance
  • Drafting the management commentary

Who is it for

Portfolio managers and financial analysts as well as discretionary mandate managers and staff in risk and reporting functions.

Prerequisites

Familiarity with the main financial instruments and with asset management terminology.

Dates & locations

36 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.