Got this my email today. How awesome! Go CAIA for moving the program along. I wonder if the tests will be harder now. ___________________________________________ CAIA Curriculum News New Curriculum Readings Published Since its inception in 2002, the CAIA Association has strived to incorporate state-of-the-art reading materials in its curriculum. We are pleased to announce that we have reached a new milestone in our work with the publication of the CAIA Alternative Investment Knowledge Series: a set of books specifically written for the CAIA program. In publishing the books in this series, we are guided by the Association’s mission to provide its members with a comprehensive knowledge of alternative investments, advocate high standards of professional conduct, and establish the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst designation as the educational gold standard for the alternative investment industry. The first book in our series, CAIA Level I: Introduction to Core Topics in Alternative Investments is a revised edition of Mark Anson’s Handbook of Alternative Investments. This new CAIA edition includes completely updated sections on hedge funds, managed futures and commodities, private equity, and credit derivatives, as well as new chapters on active management and real estate. Thus, the CAIA Level I required readings are contained in this one text, supplemented only by the CFA Institute’s Standards of Practice Handbook. The second book in our series, CAIA Level II: Advanced Core Topics in Alternative Investments, also represents a significant step forward in the evolution of our curriculum. Each section was developed to incorporate the expert practitioner input that comprises the CAIA Program Core Knowledge Outline, and we believe this new model of curriculum development accurately reflects the skill set required of industry practitioners. The third book in the series, CAIA Level II: Integrated Topics and Applications, is the result of the work of our Curriculum Task Force members. They reviewed the newly developed drafts of the first two new books in the series in light of the CAIA Program Core Knowledge Outline, updated the Outline, prioritized and developed supplemental topics, and reviewed practice problems designed for the Level II examinations which are included in this publication. The fourth volume in this series is titled CAIA Level II: Current and Integrated Topics. It is updated annually and designed to address topics that cut across all areas of alternative investments, such as asset allocation and risk management techniques, as well as new developments in the alternative investment research space and in the industry itself. I believe you will find this series to be the most comprehensive, rigorous, and globally relevant source of educational material available within the field of alternative investments. Kathryn Wilkens-Christopher, PhD, CAIA Director of Curriculum CAIA Association
Nice to finally have an integrated and updated curriculum. I’m curious how many typos/errors in the first edition, though. Can’t be as bad as the Anson book frequently spelling “assess” as “asses.” His handbook is a great source of knowledge but it is rife with distracting typos, almost as if it wasn’t actually edited. I also wonder whether the overall program cost will increase as candidates will have to purchase these specific books (a la CFAI) to take the tests. I’m optimistic, though, despite these reservations, and am looking forward to seeing some of the texts for Level II next spring.
Yup, I think the cost will increase from the books too. “Asses” typos will at least be funny. Well, I guess one can consider this the first edition and maybe one day in 10 years it will have some collector value to investment junkies…hahaha Hope I will get the job done next Wed. even though I don’t think I studied very much for this thing. The punishment will be to get the 1st L1 edition but at least it will be a complete collection for both levels. Good luck to everybody. Looking forward to their comprehensive package.