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.

The first comprehensive guide to all types of alternative investments The Handbook of Alternative Investments is an indispensable working resource for investment managers, financial advisors, pension and endowment fund trustees, corporate treasurers, consultants, and estate planners. Authored by an all-star team of investment professionals and academics from across North America, the contributions featured in this groundbreaking guide were carefully selected. Darrell Jobman is a writer and editorial consultant in Deerfield, Illinois, dealing primarily with financial and futures markets. He is an acknowledged authority on derivative markets and has spent his career writing and publishing about them. He formerly was editor-in-chief of Futures Magazine and is currently a contributing editor. He has been an author, co-author, editor, or ghost-writer for a number of books, including The Handbook of Technical Analysis.

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.

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.

The complete guide to alternative investments, from experts working with CFA Institute Alternative Investments is the definitive guide to understanding non-traditional asset classes. Alternatives are a disparate group of investments that are distinguished from long-only, publicly traded investments in stocks, bonds, and cash (often referred to as traditional investments). Alternative investments include real estate, commodities, infrastructure, and other non-traditional investments such as private equity or debt and hedge funds. They are attractive to investors because of the potential for portfolio diversification resulting in a higher risk-adjusted return for the portfolio. Alternative Investments and its accompanying workbook (sold separately) lead students and investment professionals through the many characteristics of non-traditional assets, including: Narrow specialization of the investment managers Relatively low correlation of returns with those of traditional investments Less regulation and less transparency than traditional investments Limited historical risk and return data Unique legal and tax considerations Higher fees, often including performance or incentive fees Concentrated portfolios Restrictions on redemptions (i.e. “lockups” and “gates”) CFA Institute is the world's premier association for investment professionals, and the governing body for the CFA® Program, CIPM® Program, CFA Institute ESG Investing Certificate, and Investment Foundations® Program. Those seeking a deeper understanding of the markets, mechanisms, and use of alternatives will value the level of expertise CFA Institute brings to the discussion, providing a clear, comprehensive resource for students and professionals alike. Whether used alone or in conjunction with the companion workbook, Alternative Investments offers a complete course in alternative investments and their role in investment management.

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.

"Clifford Jack explores the increasing interest and strategic use of alternatives as a way to help manage volatility amid now-commonplace market swings. He demystifies the alternative asset class, identifies several portfolio strategies, tools and techniques while educating the reader in a colorful way"--Back cover.

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

Praise for Active Alpha "Active alpha is the quest for every sophisticated investor. This book covers all of the key alpha sources currently mined by active managers, reduces the complexity of the subject, and helps the investor get started in the right direction." -Mark Anson, Chief Executive Officer, Hermes Pensions Management Ltd. "Long-held traditional methods for investing large portfolios are giving way to new processes that are designed to improve productivity and diversification. These changes find their locus in the sometimes overly mysterious world of absolute return strategies. In this book, Alan Dorsey demystifies that new world and provides a guiding pathway into the future of professional portfolio management. This is an important read for any investor who plans to succeed going forward." -Britt Harris, Chief Investment Officer, Teacher Retirement System of Texas "With great lucidity, Alan Dorsey's book, Active Alpha, fills an important void by identifying the relevant institutional features of this complex subject and by providing a unifying analytic framework for understanding and constructing portfolios of alternative assets. For anyone investing in the alternative class, from the new student to the experienced practitioner, Active Alpha is a necessary read. I am recommending it to everyone I know with such an interest, and it is destined to become a much thumbed reference on my shelf." -Steve Ross, Franco Modigliani Professor of Financial Economics, Sloan School, MIT

Take an active management approach with liquid alternatives to increase R.O.I. Take advantage of inefficiencies in the market by investing in alternative assets. Hedge fund and private equity investment diversifies your portfolio and helps shield you from market volatility, allowing your more passive assets to work the long game. In Tactical Portfolios: Strategies and Tactics for Investing in Hedge Funds and Liquid Alternatives, author Bailey McCann guides you through the principles of hedge fund investment and the associated philosophies of risk management strategies. McCann's background in reporting and analyzing government policy and regulatory issues positions her as a valuable source of strategic investment advice. As Senior Editor of Opalesque's Alternative Market Briefing, her take on the market is read by every one of the top 100 hedge fund managers on a daily basis. In Tactical Portfolios: Strategies and Tactics for Investing in Hedge Funds and Liquid Alternatives, McCann goes in-depth on important topics. Strategies for equities, managed futures and fixed income What to expect and common misconceptions Investment mechanics of specific strategies Valuation, red flags, and regulatory changes If your passive approach has failed to produce the desired results, liquid alternative investment may be the answer. While long/short will always be around, external forces can change its impact on your portfolio and it may be time to expand your investment arsenal. Tactical Portfolios: Strategies and Tactics for Investing in Hedge Funds and Liquid Alternatives will help you get the most out of any market.