Penn State Smeal College of Business
Business Building
475 Shortlidge Rd
University Park, PA 16802

Professor of Finance
Tim Simin graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Texas at Dallas with a Bachelor of Science in Economics and Finance in 1992. Between 1992 and 1994 he worked in the Division of Monetary Affairs at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors in Washington, D.C.. He earned a Ph.D. in Finance from the University of Washington. Tim has taught finance and economics at the University of Washington, held a visiting position at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and is currently a Full Professor in the Finance Department at the Smeal College of Business at the Pennsylvania State University where he teaches empirical methods in asset pricing for Ph.D. students and portfolio theory for Undergraduate and MBAs and Microeconomics and Econometrics for Executive MBAs and DBAs. He serves as an associate editor at the Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting. He has numerous publications in academic journals such as the Journal of Finance, the Review of Financial Studies, the Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, the Journal of Corporate Finance, the Journal of Financial Markets, as well as practitioner journals such as the Journal of Alternative Investments, the Journal of Investment Management, and the Financial Analysts Journal. Tim has a daughter Sydnie, two younger sons Alexander and Noah and two step-sons Holden and Owen.
Professor Simin is doing empirical research on the predictability of equity returns, robust estimation techniques, pricing of commodity futures, and predicting financial distress.
Ph D in Finance, The University of Washington, Foster School of Business, Seattle, WA, 2002-01-01 BS in Economics and Finance, The University of Texas at Dallas, School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences, Richardson, TX, 1992-01-01
BA 511 – Statistical Analysis
This course provides a breadth of statistical skills necessary for advanced data analysis. Students will learn how to employ data analytic processes that address challenges associated with experiments, surveys, time-series, panels, and/or multilevel models. Software packages, concepts, and business applications will vary and evolve to keep pace with technology, theory, and instructor interest.
BA 533 – Economics for Managers
A survey of analytical concepts and techniques essential to an understanding of the business environment.
BA 580 – DBA Culminating Res Project
This course provides Doctorate of Business Administration students with the opportunity to identify a practice problem or clinical question and investigate the literature related to this selected area of interest. Students will develop and implement a comprehensive project to address the problem. Students will also disseminate the results in both a scholarly presentation and manuscript for publication.
FIN 406 – fin 406
FIN 406 – Sec Anly &Prt Mgmt
Advanced valuation theory; fundamentals of security analysis; portfolio construction and management.
FIN 406 – Security Analysis and Portfolio Management
Advanced valuation theory; fundamentals of security analysis; portfolio construction and management.
FIN 406H – Sc Aly Prf Mgt Hn (H)
Advanced valuation theory; fundamentals of security analysis; portfolio construction and management. FIN 406H - Security Analysis and Portfolio Management (Honors)(3) Finance 406 is about how to invest money in stocks, bonds and derivative securities. The course focus is on creating portfolios of assets rather than on picking individual assets for investment. To create a portfolio of assets, the portfolio manager must have knowledge of the assets available for purchase, the markets the assets are traded in, and the statistical and mathematical techniques needed to assign weights to the assets within the portfolio. The manager must also be able to predict changes in the economy that justify changes in the portfolio, as well as be able to evaluate the performance of the portfolio relative to standard benchmark portfolios such as the S&P500.The course begins with a review of the structure of the asset markets, basic pricing formulas, fundamental and technical analysis, and the tools from previous statistics, economics, and calculus classes needed. Different models relating risk and return such as the CAPM and arbitrage pricing model are covered. These models exemplify how investors are willing to trade-off the variance in returns from investments with the expected value of the investment. The students then learn how to choose the weights to assign to each asset available to maximize the expected return while minimizing risk of the portfolio using the portfolio theory of Markowitz. While the focus of this section of the class is on investing in equities, the portfolio theory learned is applicable to all types of assets. Because there are important differences between stocks and bonds, the next section of the class focuses on the unique characteristics of fixed income securities. Models explaining the different risk and return characteristics of bonds are examined. Because fixed income securities prices and returns are directly linked to changes in interest rates, theories of what determines interest rates are presented and applied to evaluating the performance of portfolios including fixed income securities. The course concludes with an overview of investment in options and futures contracts. The basic pricing models for these types of assets are reviewed as well as practical concepts of investing in derivatives such as margin accounts and creating synthetic returns using combinations of different types of options.As an Honors course, the level of research and academic investigation is enhanced with outside journal readings in topics such as portfolio theory, anomalies and market efficiency, overpricing, and current topics in Portfolio Management as material is published. This material is incorporated into class discussions and course exams beyond what is covered in the standard version of the class.
FIN 406H – Security Analysis and Portfolio Management (H)
Advanced valuation theory; fundamentals of security analysis; portfolio construction and management.
FIN 406H – Security Analysis and Portfolio Management (Honors) (H)
Advanced valuation theory; fundamentals of security analysis; portfolio construction and management.
FIN 583 – FIN MOD PORT MGT
This course explores tools used by portfolio managers. Topics covered include a review of the structure of the asset markets, basic pricing formulas, fundamental and technical analysis and the the different models relating risk and return, as well as portfolio management and derivative pricing. Statistical concepts such as mean, variance, covariance, and regression analysis will be used extensively throughout the course.
FIN 583 – Modern Portfolio Management: Theory and Practice
Theoretical foundations and tools needed for structuring, managing, and monitoring the performance of an investment portfolio.
FIN 583 – PORTFOLIO MGMT
This course explores tools used by corporate portfolio managers. Topics covered include a review of the structure of the asset markets, basic pricing formulas, fundamental and technical analysis, and the different models relating risk and return, as well as portfolio management and derivative pricing. Statistical concepts such as mean, variance, covariance, and regression analysis will be used extensively throughout the course. In particular, corporate portfolio management has become part of the DNA of the organization. Tactically, how does strategic management of corporate assets (both short- and long-term) i.e., the corporate portfolio, create shareholder value? In this course, students will gain an understanding of the theory underlying optimal portfolio construction, the different ways portfolios are actually built in practice, and how to measure and manage the risk of such portfolios. The course covers investment strategies for bonds, equities, and structured products, including the use of derivatives in managing risk as it relates to overall short- and long- term corporate strategy. Portfolio optimization and asset allocation are covered, as well as how to measure portfolio performance. Ethical investment, the role of taxation, and behavioral investment biases are also explored. At the end of the course students will be able to choose between different bonds, equities, and structured products, as well as make asset allocation decisions that match overall corporate strategic decision making. Students will also be able to decide on and know how to manage a diversified investment portfolio and its currency risk.
FIN 590 – Colloquium
Continuing seminars which consist of a series of individual lectures by faculty, students, or outside speakers.
FIN 596 – Individual Studies
Creative projects, including nonthesis research, which are supervised on an individual basis and which fall outside the scope of formal courses.
FIN 597 – Special Topics
Formal courses given on a topical or special interest subject which may be offered infrequently; several different topics may be taught in one year or term.
FIN 597C – Research Methods (C)
The class focuses on the empirical research methods, data, and econometrics used in the asset pricing subfields of financial economics.
FIN 600 – Thesis Research
FIN 601 – Ph D Dis Full-Time
NO DESCRIPTION.
FIN 601 – PH.D. DISSERTATION FULL-TIME
NO DESCRIPTION.
FIN 883 – PORTFOLIO MGMT
Theoretical foundations and tools needed for structuring, managing, and monitoring the performance of an investment portfolio.
PSU 006 – First-Year Seminar Business
Facilitate student's adjustment to the high expectations, demanding workload, increased academic liberties, and other aspects of the transition to college life.
Simin T. T., Caglayan M. O., Canayaz M., Zhao L. "Macro Sentiment and Hedge Fund Returns" Journal of Banking and Finance, vol. 187, 2026-03-01
Simin T. T., Ambrose B. W., Chen Y. "Firm Location and the Value-Growth Premium" Journal of Empirical Finance, vol. 87, 2026-02-01
Simin T. T., Cao Q., Xiao H. "Predicting the equity premium with the implied volatility spread" Handbook of Investment Analysis, Portfolio Management, and Financial Derivatives, vol. 1, 2024-06-01
Lenkey S., Simin T. T. "A Dynamic Partial Equilibrium Model of Capital Gains Taxation" The Journal of Finance and Data Science, vol. 9, 2023-01-01
Simin T. T., Khan S., Khokher Z. "Scarcity and Risk Premiums in Commodity Futures" The Quarterly Journal of Finance, vol. 10, 2022-01-01
Simin T. T., Cao Q., Gempesaw D. "Information Choice, Uncertainty, and Expected Returns" Review of Finance Studies, 2021-01-01
Simin T. T., Cao Q., Xiao H. "Predicting the Equity Premium with Implied Volatility Spreads" Journal of Financial Markets, vol. 51, 2020-11-01
Simin T. T., Dincerler C., Khokher Z. "An empirical Analysis of Commodity Convenience Yields" Quarterly Journal of Finance, vol. 10, 2020-01-01
Simin T. T., Cao C., Gempesaw D. "The Decline of Informed Trading in the Equity and Options Markets" Journal of Alternative Investments, vol. 21, 2018-01-01
Simin T. T., Khan S., Khokher Z. "The Information Content of a Nonlinear Macro-Finance Model for Commodity Prices" Review of Financial Studies, vol. 30, 2017-08-01
Simin T. T., Cornaggia K., Franzen L. "Bringing leased assets onto the balance sheet: The impact on common risk and performance metrics" Journal of Corporate Finance, vol. 22, 2013-01-01
Cao Q., Simin T. T., Wang Y. "Do Mutual Fund Managers Time Market Liquidity" Journal of Financial Markets, vol. 6, 2013-01-01
Simin T. T., Ferson W., Sarkissian S. "Spurious Regression and Data Mining in Conditional Asset Pricing Models" Handbook of Quantitative Finance, vol. 3, 2010-01-01
Simin T. T., Ferson W. E., Sarkissian S. "Asset Pricing Regressions with Interaction Terms" Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, vol. 48, 2008-01-01
Cao Q., Simin T. T., Zhao J. "Do Growth Options Explain the Trend in Firm Specific Risk?" Review of Financial Studies, vol. 21, 2008-01-01
Simin T. T. "The (Poor) Predictive Performance of Asset Pricing Models" Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, vol. 43, 2008-01-01
Simin T. T., Cornaggia K., Franzen L. "Measuring Distress Risk: The Effect of R&D Intensity" Journal of Finance, vol. 62, 2007-01-01
Simin T. T., Dewenter K. L., Higgins R. C. "Can Event Study Methods Solve the Currency Exposure Puzzle?" Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, vol. 13, 2005-01-01
Simin T. T., Ferson W., Sarkissian S. "Is Stock Return Predictability Spurious?" Journal of Investment Management, 2003-01-01
Simin T. T., Martin R. D. "Outlier Resistant Estimates of Beta" Financial Analysts Journal, vol. 59, 2003-01-01
Simin T. T., Ferson W., Sarkissian S. "Spurious Regressions in Financial Economics?" Journal of Finance, vol. 58, 2003-01-01
Simin T. T., Martin R. D. "Robust Beta Mining" Information Visualization in Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery, 2001-01-01
Simin T. T., Dewenter K. L., Higgins R. C. "Estimating the exchange rate exposure of US multinational firms: Evidence from an event study methodology" Risk Management, 2000-01-01
Simin T. T., Ferson W., Sarkissian S. "The Alpha Factor Asset Pricing Model: A Parable" Journal of Financial Markets, vol. 2, 2000-01-01
Simin T. T., Martin R. D. "Estimates of Small-Stock Betas are Often Very Distorted by Outliers" University of Washington Statistics Department, vol. 22, 1999-01-01
Simin T. T., Martin R. D. "Robust Estimation of Beta" University of Washington Statistics Department, vol. 22, 1999-01-01
Simin T. T., Reinhart V. "The Market Reaction to Federal Reserve Policy Action from 1989 to 1992" Journal of Economics and Business, vol. 49, 1997-01-01