In this environment, its 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, youll 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 its imperative for you to develop a deeper understanding of Alternative Investment Strategies and Risk Management.

This book discusses scenarios for risk management and developing global investment strategies. What are the chances that various future events will occur over time and how should these events and probable occurrence influence investment decisions? Assessing all possible outcomes is fundamental to risk management, financial engineering and investment and hedge fund strategies. A careful consideration of future scenarios will lead to better investment decisions and avoid financial disasters. The book presents tools and case studies around the world for analyzing a wide variety of investment strategies, building scenarios to optimize returns.

Debunking outdated and inaccurate beliefs about investment management and reveals the new realities of the post-modern financial markets There have been a lot of big changes in the investment world over the past decade, and many long-cherished beliefs about the structures and performance of various investments no longer apply. Unfortunately the news seems not to have reached many thought leaders and investment professionals who persist in trying, and failing, to apply 20th-century thinking to 21st-century portfolio management. Nowhere is this more true than when it comes to the subject of alternative investments. Written by an all-star team of investment management experts, this book debunks common myths and misconceptions about most classes of alternative investments and offers valuable advice on how to develop investment management and asset allocation strategies consistent with the new realities of the ever-changing world of alternative investments. Covers most alternative asset classes, including private equity, real estate, managed futures, hedge funds, commodity indices, and more Debunks long-held assumptions about the structure and performance of various investment classes that continue to dominate the industry Explores the implications for investment managers of the proliferation of international marketable securities and global financial markets Provides an overview of both the micro and the macro aspects of each alternative investment class

Alternative Investments: A Primer for Investment Professionals provides an overview of alternative investments for institutional asset allocators and other overseers of portfolios containing both traditional and alternative assets. It is designed for those with substantial experience regarding traditional investments in stocks and bonds but limited familiarity regarding alternative assets, alternative strategies, and alternative portfolio management. The primer categorizes alternative assets into four groups: hedge funds, real assets, private equity, and structured products/derivatives. Real assets include vacant land, farmland, timber, infrastructure, intellectual property, commodities, and private real estate. For each group, the primer provides essential information about the characteristics, challenges, and purposes of these institutional-quality alternative assets in the context of a well-diversified institutional portfolio. Other topics addressed by this primer include tail risk, due diligence of the investment process and operations, measurement and management of risks and returns, setting return expectations, and portfolio construction. The primer concludes with a chapter on the case for investing in alternatives.

A well-rounded hedge fund guide for the serious financial professional Alternative investment strategies-hedge funds in particular-have experienced a significant resurgence recently, largely in response to the dramatic downturn of the global equity markets. In response to this explosion in popularity, this book focuses on many of the best moneymaking strategies related to these alternative investment vehicles. IMCA (The Investment Management Consultants Association) is a professional association established in 1985, representing the investment consulting profession in the U.S. and Canada. Kenneth S. Phillips is a member of the IMCA Advisory Council and Managing Principal of Capital Partners, LLC. Ron Surz, CIMA, is a member of the IMCA Board of Directors and the President of PPCA Inc.

This book provides a cutting edge introduction to market risk management for Hedge Funds, Hedge Funds of Funds, and the numerous new indices and clones launching coming to market on a near daily basis. It will present the fundamentals of quantitative risk measures by analysing the range of Value-at-Risk (VaR) models used today, addressing the robustness of each model, and looking at new risk measures available to more effectively manage risk in a hedge fund portfolio. The book begins by analysing the current state of the hedge fund industry - at the ongoing institutionalisation of the market, and at its latest developments. It then moves on to examine the range of risks, risk controls, and risk management strategies currently employed by practitioners, and focuses on particular risks embedded in the more classic investment strategies such as Long/Short, Convertible Arbitrage, Fixed Income Arbitrage, Short selling and risk arbitrage. Addressed along side these are other risks common to hedge funds, including liquidity risk, leverage risk and counterparty risk. The book then moves on to examine more closely two models which provide the underpinning for market risk management in investment today - Style Value-at-Risk and Implicit Value-at-Risk. As well as full quantitative analysis and backtesting of each methodology, the authors go on to propose a new style model for style and implicit Var, complete with analysis, real life examples and backtesting. The authors then go on to discuss annualisation issues and risk return before moving on to propose a new model based on the authors own Best Choice Implicit VaR approach, incorporating quantitative analysis, market results and backtesting and also its potential for new hedge fund clone products. This book is the only guide to VaR for Hedge Funds and will prove to be an invaluable resource as we embark into an era of increasing volatility and uncertainty.

In-depth Level II exam preparation direct from the CAIA Association CAIA Level II is the official study guide for the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst professional examination, and an authoritative guide to working in the alternative investment sphere. Written by the makers of the exam, this book provides in-depth guidance through the entire exam agenda; the Level II strategies are the same as Level I, but this time you'll review them through the lens of risk management and portfolio optimisation. Topics include asset allocation and portfolio oversight, style analysis, risk management, alternative asset securitisation, secondary market creation, performance and style attribution and indexing and benchmarking, with clear organisation and a logical progression that allows you to customise your preparation focus. This new third edition has been updated to align with the latest exam, and to reflect the current practices in the field. The CAIA designation was developed to provide a standardized knowledge base in the midst of explosive capital inflow into alternative investments. This book provides a single-source repository of that essential information, tailored to those preparing for the Level II exam. Measure, monitor and manage funds from a risk management perspective Delve into advanced portfolio structures and optimisation strategies Master the nuances of private equity, real assets, commodities and hedge funds Gain expert insight into preparing thoroughly for the CAIA Level II exam The CAIA Charter programme is rigorous and comprehensive, and the designation is globally recognised as the highest standard in alternative investment education. Candidates seeking thorough preparation and detailed explanations of all aspects of alternative investment need look no further than CAIA Level II.