Meet Jim Kyung-Soo Liew
Jim Kyung-Soo Liew, PhD
Assistant Professor
What classes have you taught at Carey, and in what programs?
I have taught the following courses: Advanced Hedge Fund Strategies, Entrepreneurial Finance, Corporate Finance, Derivatives, and Wealth Management. I look forward to teaching Fixed Income in the spring of 2014.
What are your research interests?
I enjoy researching the intersection of fundamental information, technical indicators, news sentiments, macro factors, and asset prices. Generally speaking, these research areas comprise of value/growth (HML), size effects (SMB), and trend-following/momentum (WML) across global capital markets. I recently developed interest in investigating intra-day news sentiment impact on intra-day security prices. Since I am sitting on a staggering amount of data, I am currently seeking smart hardworking RAs who also possess sharp programming skills.
What’s your favorite way to keep current with research? (e.g. website, library, conferences)
Some of the ways I stay current with research is just roaming the hallways on the 13th floor, engaging with our world class Professors at Carey. I also read the latest SSRN working papers and published works, and follow a few authors who are innovating in their respective fields. And of course the Wall Street Journal and Financial Times are daily requisite reading.
What don’t your students know about why you pursued your field as a career?
Over the course of my career, I have had opportunities to learn about a multitude of different kinds of hedge fund strategies. Many students may not know that I actually enjoy trading some of these strategies in my spare time. It’s exciting to put real money up against theoretical academic models. You could say that I like to keep one foot in the real world.
When did you know that you wanted to study this for a living?
When I was in graduate school, I was hungry for ideas that really push us, as an academic community, over the edge and into new areas of thought and understanding. Naturally, I ended up in the realm of hedge funds. Hedge funds typically pursue some of the most interesting and creative strategies; these guys are pushing the limits all the time.
What should students take away from your class?
This entirely depends on the class. In the core classes, I hope to impart the basics to the students. In the Advanced Hedge Fund Strategies class, I really push my students to the bleeding edge. As for my Entrepreneurial Finance class, I want them to “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish,” even after they graduate.
For all my courses, I intend to make sure my students fully understand all the different schools of thought. I also present to the students the context of what was happening in the financial literature at that time.
Does your research make you feel a certain way? Inspired? Depressed? Amused?
Typically, research initially starts with so many uncertainties, so many may feel a bit overwhelmed and depressed. Once you get into the research and start finding interesting discoveries then it can begin to get exciting. When you really reach a break-through and know you’re going to permanently change the body of knowledge, pride and ego tends to creep in. Academic investigation is a lonely journey and not for everyone. It’s good to have some genuine colleagues to continually bounce ideas off of and to keep you grounded and most importantly, remain humble.
What does being at Johns Hopkins mean to you?
World class everything! Faculty, researchers, students, and staff. I sincerely enjoy working and serving in all capacities here.
What do you picture when you think of Business with Humanity in Mind?
I think of Gordon Gekko putting a million dollars into Mother Teresa’s purse.
What have you been able to achieve here that would have been impossible elsewhere?
Launching the Innovation Factory and teaching so many different courses has been a real thrill!
Tell us about your other endeavors… How does Carey inform or help you move forward in those?
Hopkins has a great attitude in helping across different departments. I enjoyed meeting and working with others outside of the business school. Some of the researchers at APL are out of this world. Also, our staff has been very supportive of new initiatives.
What is your favorite concept to teach?
Overcoming any internal fears and thoughts that you cannot do something or understand certain concepts in finance. Finance in all its glory is actually pretty straight forward, but sometimes students give up too easily. I’m here to encourage them to persist to gain deep understanding of concepts. Moreover, to be able to reach back and employ them in the real world.
What do you like best about teaching Carey students?
Carey students are super-smart and sincere. They have the “Cal Ripken Jr.” ethos: Show up every day and get to work. It’s a great honor teaching and learning from our Carey students!