Alternative Investments

Shanghai-based Lawrence Tse of Gobi Partners outlined the risks, opportunities, and lessons learned from a career in early-stage investing in China.

Our flagship event in the region brought together noted researchers, investment professionals, and academics to explore the unique economic and financial issues driving investment returns in China and the Asia-Pacific region at large. These curated resources, which include a Livestream session, blog posts, Twitter highlights, photographs, and conference coverage on investment blog Seeking Alpha, provide a collective snapshot of the most important takeaways from our speakers — as shared by CFA Institute staff, conference attendees, and our social media fans and followers.

Morgan Stanley's J.E. Hoke Slaughter made the case that China — along with India — provide the best long-term, sustained growth prospects in the world.

Popular opinion holds that hedge funds are attracting large amounts of new assets, yet anecdotal evidence suggests that it is a tale of two capital-raising markets, with smaller hedge funds starving in comparison to their larger competitors.

There is a plethora of research that has documented a number of “irregularities” in self-reported hedge fund returns. These studies have found that some hedge funds reported smoothed returns, reported disproportionately more small positive returns than negative returns, and reported higher returns in December.

A recent survey suggests that some investment advisers may be recommending alternative investment strategies that neither they nor their clients fully understand. In order to regain the confidence and trust of clients and the public at large, investment professionals must commit to doing a better job of understanding — and communicating — the features, characteristics, and risks of these complex strategies.

Although not a pioneering work, Wealth Building Strategies in Energy, Metals, and Other Markets details easily accessible and timely methods for navigating upcoming investment markets that are sure to be stormy. Author Chris Waltzek, host of a weekly broadcast on GoldSeek.com, focuses on a few economically sensitive sectors — namely, energy, metals, and real estate. The book consists of three sections: “Successful Investing,” “The Housing Bubble,” and “Banking—Super Profits.”

Here we go again: Another high-profile bankruptcy of a financial firm… Another scandal… It’s just another day on Wall Street, it seems. In October, following a series of debilitating credit downgrades and a steep drop in its stock price,… READ MORE ›