The Toronto branch of CAIA Canada kicked off the Holiday season Wednesday night with an event you might call a "think and drink". Toronto-based organizer James Burron brought together the head of the Canadian Venture Capital Association, a leading managed futures manager, a globe-trotting hedge fund marketer and the CIO of one of the country's leading institutional investment managers, mixed in about 40 local members, some seasonal libations and those mini-hamburgers and puff-pastries that can only mean the Holidays are at hand. I thought it was a great format - not just a social, but also not a formal sit-down panel discussion. It was a sort of guided interactive conversation with Burron's capable hand at the helm. The topic: an Outlook for 2010.

Without exception, the four guests were more bullish than they were at this point last year. Although some expressed serious reservations about the onset of a bona fide economic recovery any time soon. One reminded the group that "China has 300 million middle class". Another said the strength of the US dollar amidst the Dubai crisis showed "the US dollar was still the world's reserve currency" even in the face of naysayers. Two agreed that the IPO drought might finally be ending and another said he had travelled 35,000 miles in the past month to meet with investors interested in Canada's commodity story.

Good news, to be sure. But I was also glad to hear from several CAIA members and candidates that they were becoming really excited about the growing popularity of the designation. One pointed to the value of CAIA's advertising in Bloomberg magazine and the Economist. Another – a consultant with a well known investment consulting firm – was beginning to see internal job openings that specified a preference for the CAIA designation. Several others had heard of the success of the New York chapter's "Green Investing Symposium". (As in the US, clean tech is apparently a hot topic north of the border.)

I'm looking forward to attending Holiday socials like this in Chicago, New York and Connecticut in the next few weeks. It's a tough job going to these parties and meeting interesting people from throughout the CAIA network – but someone's got to do it!

Christopher Holt, MBA, CAIA
Director of Industry Relations