The purpose of this book is to present the principles of alternative investments in management. The individual chapters provide a detailed analysis of various classes of alternative investments on the financial market. Despite many different definitions of alternative investments, it can be assumed that a classical approach to alternative investments includes hedge funds, fund of funds (FOF), managed accounts, structured products and private equity/venture capital. Alternative investment in keeping with this broad definition is the subject of consideration here. The theoretical part of each chapter is meant to collect, systematize and deepen readers’ understanding of a given investment category, while the practical part of each focuses on an analysis of the current state of development of alternative investments on the global market and outlines the prospects of future market development. This book will be a valuable tool for scholars, practitioners and policy-makers alike.
This book evaluates investment opportunities such as life settlements, litigation funding, farmlands, royalties, weather derivatives, collectables and other unique asset classes. It provides an in-depth analysis of the returns, risks, opportunities and portfolio effects for anyone who wants to expand their investment horizons. This book is for individual investors, financial advisors, and academics who desire knowledge about investment products beyond just stocks and bonds or vanilla hedge funds, private equity and real estate investments. It provides a critical link to industry data and original research to support the case for adding exotic alternative investments to traditional portfolios.
A comprehensive volume that covers a complete array of traditional and alternative investment vehicles This practical guide provides a comprehensive overview of traditional and alternative investment vehicles for professional and individual investors hoping to gain a deeper understanding of the benefits and pitfalls of using these products. In it, expert authors Mark Anson, Frank Fabozzi, and Frank Jones clearly present the major principles and methods of investing and their risks and rewards. Along the way, they focus on providing you with the information needed to successfully invest using a host of different methods depending upon your needs and goals. Topics include equities, all types of fixed income securities, investment-oriented insurance products, mutual funds, closed-end funds, investment companies, exchange-traded funds, futures, options, hedge funds, private equity, and real estate Written by the expert author team of Mark Anson, Frank Fabozzi, and Frank Jones Includes valuable insights for everyone from finance professionals to individual investors Many finance books offer collections of expertise on one or two areas of finance, but The Handbook of Traditional and Alternative Investment Vehicles brings all of these topics together in one comprehensive volume.
The global markets continue to be volatile and the overall economy remains uncertain. In this environment, it's more important than ever to get familiar with risk management principles and seek out alternative investment strategies carefully to maintain and grow your capital. Written by Raghurami Reddy Etukuru, MBA, CAIA, FRM, PRM, this guidebook introduces you to various alternative investments and risk management concepts in straightforward language. For instance, hedge funds are often seen as risky investments, but they actually provide greater diversification than traditional common stocks. If you engage in the proper hedge fund strategy, you'll also find less volatility. In addition to hedge funds, you will find information and guidance on various phases of due diligence; risk metrics, quantitative models and exotic options; commodities, managed futures, private equities, and real estate; brokers, auditors, and legal counsel. Get the information you need to make informed decisions about your own finances. Whether you are a businessperson, student, analyst it's imperative for you to develop a deeper understanding of Alternative Investment Strategies and Risk Management.
Efficiently Inefficient describes the key trading strategies used by hedge funds and demystifies the secret world of active investing. Leading financial economist Lasse Heje Pedersen combines the latest research with real-world examples and interviews with top hedge fund managers to show how certain trading strategies make money - and why they sometimes don't. -- from back cover.
Private equity-backed companies are ubiquitous and economically significant. Consequently, the corporate governance of these companies matters to all of us, and – not surprisingly – is coming under increasing scrutiny. Simon Witney, a practicing private equity lawyer, positions private equity portfolio companies within existing academic theory and examines the laws that apply to them in the UK. He analyses the actual governance frameworks that are put in place and identifies problems created by the legal rules – as well as the market's solutions to them. This book not only explains why these governance mechanisms are established, but also what they are expected to achieve. Witney suggests that private equity owners have both the incentives and the capability to focus on responsible investment practices. Good governance, he argues, is a critical success factor for the private equity industry.
We are entering a golden age of alternative investments. Alternative asset classes including private equity, hedge funds, catastrophe reinsurance, real assets, non-traditional credit, alternative risk premia, digital assets, collectibles, and other novel assets are now available to investors and their advisors in a way that they never have been before. The pursuit of diversification is not as straightforward as it once was — and the classic 60/40 portfolio may no longer be sufficient in helping investors achieve their most important financial goals. With the ever-present need for sustainable income and risk management, alternative assets are poised to play a more prominent role in investor portfolios. Phil Huber is the Chief Investment Officer for a multi-billion dollar wealth management firm and acts as your guide on a journey through the past, present, and future of alternative investments. In this groundbreaking tour de force, he provides detailed coverage across the spectrum of alternative assets: their risk and return characteristics, methods to gain exposure, and how to fit everything into a balanced portfolio. The three parts of The Allocator’s Edge address: 1. Why the future may present challenges for traditional portfolios; why the adoption of alternatives has remained elusive for many allocators; and why the case for alternatives is more compelling than ever thanks to financial evolution and innovation. 2. A comprehensive survey of the asset classes and strategies that comprise the vast universe of alternative investments. 3. How to build durable and resilient portfolios that harness alternative assets; and how to sharpen the client communication skills needed to establish proper expectations and make the unfamiliar familiar. The Allocator’s Edge is written with the practitioner in mind, providing financial advisors, institutional allocators, and other professional investors the confidence and courage needed to effectively understand, implement, and translate alternatives for their clients. Alternative investments are the allocator’s edge for the portfolios of tomorrow — and this is the essential guide for advisors and investors looking to seize the opportunity.
Not to be used after March, 2012 Exams – CAIA Level I, 2nd Edition should be used to prepare for September 2012 Exam. The official study text for the Level I Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) exam The Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designation is the financial industry's first and only globally recognized program that prepares professionals to deal with the ever-growing field of alternative investments. The CAIA Level I: An Introduction to Core Topics in Alternative Investments contains all material on alternative investments that a potential Level I candidate would need to know as they prepare for the exam. The information found here will help you build a solid foundation in both traditional and alternative investment markets-for example, the range of statistics that are used to define investment performance as well as the many types of hedge fund strategies. It will also inform CAIA candidates on how to identify and describe aspects of financial markets, develop reasoning skills, and in some cases, make computations necessary to solve business problems. Contains "need to know" material for Level I candidates and for alternative investment specialists Addresses all of the unique attributes associated with the alternative investments space Organized with a study guide outline and learning objectives with key terms, available for free at www.caia.org/program/studyguides Focuses on alternative investments and quantitative techniques used by investment professionals This book is a must-have resource for anyone contemplating taking the CAIA Level I exam.
Whether you are a seasoned professional looking to explore new areas within the alternative investment arena or a new industry participant seeking to establish a solid understanding of alternative investments, Alternative Investments: An Allocator's Approach, Fourth Edition (CAIA Level II curriculum official text) is the best way to achieve these goals. In recent years, capital formation has shifted dramatically away from public markets as issuers pursue better financial and value alignment with ownership, less onerous and expensive regulatory requirements, market and information dislocation, and liberation from the short-term challenges that undergird the public capital markets. The careful and informed use of alternative investments in a diversified portfolio can reduce risk, lower volatility, and improve returns over the long-term, enhancing investors' ability to meet their investment outcomes. Alternative Investments: An Allocator's Approach (CAIA Level II curriculum official text) is a key resource that can be used to improve the sophistication of asset owners and those who work with them. This text comprises the curriculum, when combined with supplemental materials available at caia.org, for the CAIA Level II exam. "Over the course of my long career one tenet has held true, 'Continuing Education'. Since CalSTRS is a teachers' pension plan, it is no surprise that continuing education is a core attribute of our Investment Office culture. Overseeing one of the largest institutional pools of capital in the world requires a cohesive knowledge and understanding of both public and private market investments and strategies. We must understand how these opportunities might contribute to delivering on investment outcomes for our beneficiaries. Alternative Investments: An Allocator's Approach is the definitive core instruction manual for an institutional investor, and it puts you in the captain's chair of the asset owner." —Christopher J. Ailman, Chief Investment Officer, California State Teachers’ Retirement System "Given their diversified cash flow streams and returns, private markets continue to be a growing fixture of patient, long-term portfolios. As such, the need to have proficiency across these sophisticated strategies, asset classes, and instruments is critical for today's capital allocator. As a proud CAIA charterholder, I have seen the practical benefits in building a strong private markets foundation, allowing me to better assist my clients." —Jayne Bok, CAIA, CFA, Head of Investments, Asia, Willis Tower Watson
In the years since the now-classic Pioneering Portfolio Management was first published, the global investment landscape has changed dramatically -- but the results of David Swensen's investment strategy for the Yale University endowment have remained as impressive as ever. Year after year, Yale's portfolio has trumped the marketplace by a wide margin, and, with over $20 billion added to the endowment under his twenty-three-year tenure, Swensen has contributed more to Yale's finances than anyone ever has to any university in the country. What may have seemed like one among many success stories in the era before the Internet bubble burst emerges now as a completely unprecedented institutional investment achievement. In this fully revised and updated edition, Swensen, author of the bestselling personal finance guide Unconventional Success, describes the investment process that underpins Yale's endowment. He provides lucid and penetrating insight into the world of institutional funds management, illuminating topics ranging from asset-allocation structures to active fund management. Swensen employs an array of vivid real-world examples, many drawn from his own formidable experience, to address critical concepts such as handling risk, selecting advisors, and weathering market pitfalls. Swensen offers clear and incisive advice, especially when describing a counterintuitive path. Conventional investing too often leads to buying high and selling low. Trust is more important than flash-in-the-pan success. Expertise, fortitude, and the long view produce positive results where gimmicks and trend following do not. The original Pioneering Portfolio Management outlined a commonsense template for structuring a well-diversified equity-oriented portfolio. This new edition provides fund managers and students of the market an up-to-date guide for actively managed investment portfolios.
