Mac Global is a student  run initiative that aims to diversify and popularize the studies of finance within the McMaster community. The goal of this club is to promote activism within the McMaster community to the extent that it inspires passionate pursuit for self-development in the multifaceted discipline that is finance. Moreover, the club is focused on bridging members to the financial industry in a diverse fashion. The Mac Global Professionals in Finance Speaker Series  is a bi-weekly event that draws professionals from all parts of the industry, from Debt Capital Markets to Investment Banking.  The club is focused on creating networking opportunities for members and enhancing career opportunities.

The club was founded by a group of dedicated, passionate, and inspired Degroote students who met regularly around campus to discuss global markets and trade ideas out of sheer interest. We envision a platform upon which lively, passionate, and constructive debate, related to trading global market events, can take place, with creative trading ideas being the central theme. Quite simply, we aim to inspire interest, promote development, and enhance beneficial involvement.

Investment Approach

Mac Globals Investment Philosophy is centered on Active Trading Strategies, Market Psychology & Behavior, and an overall “Big Picture” approach to trading strategy formulation. All of our discussions related to trading and the markets are educational in scope and aim to be highly informative and inclusive in scope. Trading drivers are political, economic, geopolitical, and market events. The club does not analyze specific stocks nor does it engage in value investing; global stock indexes, commodities, bonds, and currencies are the favored trading instruments. The club follows a global approach to trading; the Japanese earthquake, the Arab Spring, and the European Debt crisis are examples of events around which trading strategies would have been devised and executed. As an example, ahead of the U.S debt ceiling debate, which caused tremendous levels of volatility in the markets, the investment committee would have pitched a long Gold & Swiss Franc, and short S&P 500 index strategy to capitalize on the anticipated negative volatility. Mac Global uses its own custom Financial & Trading models, as well as its own custom made indexes, like the Mac Global Cyclical Index or the Mac Global Defensive Index, to gauge market strength or lack thereof.   Furthermore, a daily news letter, the Global Trading Drivers Daily, will be authored and released prior to market open to highlight the important prevailing issues driving markets on that day.

Investment Teams

The clubs investment approach is reliant on a broad analytical platform that looks at the market from multiple facets, members who decide to attend regularly will find their knowledge base grow. Consequently, trading strategies devised will be of higher quality due to the multidimensional approach to market analysis. The following four teams are in charge of updating their respective financial & trading models and presenting members with a broad view of market activity:

Global Market Strategy

Fundamental Analysis

Technical Analysis

Risk Analysis

What can I expect at a club meeting? 

Mac Global meets bi-weekly. During our bi-weekly meetings, the heads of each of the Global Market Strategy, Fundamental Analysis, Risk Analysis, and Technical Analysis and their strategists explore the market environment as it was since the last meeting from different perspectives. The events that moved and shaped market activity are discussed, the shifting fundamentals of the market, as well as the technical charts & indicators that capture market activity are analyzed. The teams will then formulate an outlook for the market, highlighting the important events that will shape the market activity for the foreseeable future. The discussion then moves on to a lively debate about trading strategies that could be implemented to capitalize on the clubs market outlook, for example, buying gold and the Japanese Yen and selling the TSX short in anticipation of negative market volatility. Equity Partners can then vote on whether to let the Investment Committee execute the proposed strategies.

Furthermore, the Mac Global Professionals in Finance speaker series will start in October and end in March, with a speaker coming in every other week. During those sessions, speakers discuss their career paths, different experiences, and current roles; some will also choose to discuss the market environment. The session then moves on to a lively Q&A period in which all members are encouraged to participate.

What if I’m a beginner?

Then you’re in the right place. At Mac Global, as part of our educational initiatives,  guides have been authored by the Investment Committee to endow any one devoid of much financial knowledge with much more than they started. Moreover, Analyst positions are offered in each of the departments listed above and are meant to be educational in scope.

Fall/Winter Trading contest

As part of our educational initiatives, the club will be running a simulated portfolio activity that will last for the duration of the 2011/2012 school year. The top 3 portfolio managers as ranked at the end of each semester will receive cash awards. The activity is aligned with the clubs active market analysis philosophy; we aim for interested members to utilize the trading models, daily market analysis published by the club, and the market strategy debates during meetings as a basis upon which to grow knowledge and hence trading skills.

Winter Educational Seminars

During the winter semester, the club will be hosting a few seminars that are fully aligned with the clubs investment orientation. We aim to utilize professorial experience to aid us in making the seminars highly beneficial. The following seminars are currently planned:

Technical Trading Strategies; understanding the different kinds chart reliant trading strategies

Inter Market Trading Strategies; understanding the relationships between Commodities, bonds, interest rates, and global stock markets.

Financial Modelling; Discounted Cash Flow Valuation method

Oil & Other Commodities; Trading Strategies that capitalize on external dynamics 

Market Psychology & Behavior; the role of human bias & irrationality in market fluctuations

Becoming a member

Currently, we are accepting both investing partners and general members:

  Equity Partner – Minimum investment of $200. Access to all club material + 1 vote on strategy + resume & interview prep.

  Senior Equity Partner – Minimum investment of $500; above + 2 votes on strategy + resume & interview prep.

  General Members – Club membership dues of $10 – Access to all club materials.