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 Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst 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 CAIA designation as the educational gold standard for the alternative investment industry.

Curriculum materials for March 2010 exam:

Level I

1. Standards of Practice Handbook, 9th edition, CFA Institute
2. CAIA Level I: An Introduction to Core Topics in Alternative Investments (New) 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.

Level II

1. Standards of Practice Handbook, 9th edition, CFA Institute
2. CAIA Level II: Advanced Core Topics in Alternative Investments (New) 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.
3. CAIA Level II: Integrated Topics and Applications (New) is the result of the work of our Curriculum Task Force members. They reviewed the two newly developed 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.
4. CAIA Level II: Current and Integrated Topics 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.