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CloseCAIA InfoSeries Webcasts
Our live InfoSeries webcasts will boost your expertise on the latest industry growth areas and share insights into the CAIA exams. Featuring CAIA and industry experts, these brief, interactive sessions will encourage and answer your questions. Find out more and join one today.
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Upcoming Infoseries
The Best of Both Worlds: Forecasting US Equity Market Returns Using a Hybrid Machine Learning-Time Series Approach
Tuesday, June 20, 2023, 11:00 am Time zone: ET
Description: Predicting long-term equity market returns is of great importance for investors to strategically allocate their assets. Harshdeep Ahluwalia, Head of Asset Allocation, Americas for Vanguard Investment Strategy Group is one of the authors invited to discuss the exploration of machine learning methods to forecast US stock returns 10-years ahead and compare the results to the traditional Shiller regression-based forecasts more commonly used in the asset-management industry.
Harshdeep will discuss with Dr. Kathryn Wilkens, Curriculum Consultant for the FDP Institute, how the authors then implemented the VAR-based two-step approach of Davis et al. (2018) with machine learning techniques and allowed for unspecified nonlinear relationships (a hybrid ML-VAR approach). They found up to 56% improvement in real-time forecast accuracy for 10-year annualized US stock returns.
Panelists: Harshdeep Ahluwalia, Head of Asset Allocation, Americas, Vanguard, and Kathryn Wilkens, PhD, CAIA, Founder, Pearl Quest, LLC
Can Large Language Models Produce More Accurate Analyst Forecasts?
Wednesday, June 21, 2023, 11:00 am Time zone: ET
Description: Russ Goyenko, Associate Professor of Finance at McGill University discusses with Dr. Hossein Kazemi how large language models can, and soon they will produce more accurate analyst forecasts. Using textual information from a complete history of regular quarterly and annual (10-Q and 10-K) filings by U.S. corporations, we train machine learning algorithms and large language models, LLMs, to predict future earnings surprises. First, the length of MD&A section on its own is negatively associated with future earnings surprises and firm returns in the cross-section. Second, neither sentiment-based nor classic NLPs approaches are able to ``learn'' from the past managerial discussions to forecast future earnings. Third, only "finance-trained" LLMs have the capacity to "understand'' the contexts of previous discussions to predict both positive and negative earnings surprises, and future firm returns.
Panelists: Hossein Kazemi, PhD, CFA, Senior Advisor, FDP Institute, Russ Goyenko, Associate Professor of Finance, McGill University, and Claude Perron, Founder, FIAM
FDP Exam: Prometric Test Center & ProProctor Remote Testing Information Session (Q4-2023 Exam)
Thursday, June 22, 2023, 11:00 am Time zone: ET
Description: Map out your learning journey to obtain the FDP Charter. The FDP team will answer questions about the FDP program, where to obtain your curriculum, prep providers, preparation for exam day and focused attention on our testing options.
Panelists: Hossein Kazemi, PhD, CFA, Senior Advisor, FDP Institute, and Kim Durand, Project & General Operations Manager, FDP Institute
Large Language Models in Finance: Advances and Impact
Tuesday, July 18, 2023, 11:00 am Time zone: ET
Description: Alik Sokolov and Kathryn Wilkens will discuss the revolution of natural language processing in recent years, and how it applies to various areas of investment management. Our ability to work with unstructured text data, which is abundant in investment management, has undergone several evolutions from the late 2010's: from sequence-to-sequence models for machine translation, to the advent of transformers and transfer learning, to the recent breakthroughs achieved by Large Language Models popularized by Chat GPT. These changes will have a profound impact on investment management, and we will examine several case studies and applications. We will also examine the long-term future of various investment and wealth management roles, and especially the long-term impact on ESG and responsible investing.
Panelists: Kathryn Wilkens, PhD, CAIA, Founder, Pearl Quest LLC, and Alik Sokolov, CEO, Responsibli
Unleashing the Power of Neural Networks: A Personal Journey into Creating and Harnessing a Neural Network for Trading Stocks
Thursday, July 20, 2023, 10:00 am Time zone: ET
Description: In a world where artificial intelligence is becoming complex and gaining influence, creating and using a machine learning model is not only a technical endeavor but also a personal journey of exploration, challenges, and growth. Tom Pickel will share his journey of building a neural network from the ground up. Tom will share his experience in creating a neural network using Python’s basic data science packages (Numpy and Pandas) for trying to predict movements in the stock market. We will mention loading data from stock markets, creating the Features and dataset, training networks, k-fold cross validation, choosing the best architectures, backtesting, choosing a trading strategy and more. This webinar presentation is intended for anyone who is interested in learning more about neural networks. No prior experience with neural networks is required, and perhaps it will enable participants to embark on their own journey towards developing their own machine learning models.
Panelists: Hossein Kazemi, PhD, CFA, Senior Advisor, FDP Institute, and Tom Pickel, CAIA, FDP, Independent Consultant, Pickel Global Finance
Past Infoseries
FDP Charter Information Session (Q4-2023 exam)
Tuesday, June 6, 2023, 11:00 am Time zone: ET
Description: There's never been a more crucial time to stand out. The transformative effect of data science on the finance industry requires today's finance professionals to understand the application of big data, data mining, workflow automation and machine learning in investment decisions. Learn more about the FDP Community along with the Charter curriculum and a roadmap to prepare for the upcoming FDP exam. This session provided an outline of the curriculum, background requirements, reading materials and study tools to help you prepare.
Panelists: Hossein Kazemi, PhD, CFA, Senior Advisor, FDP Institute, and Kim Durand, Project & General Operations Manager, FDP Institute
Forking Paths In Empirical Studies
Tuesday, May 23, 2023, 10:00 am Time zone: ET
Description: Guillaume Coqueret, Associate Professor, Emlyon Business School, and Dr. Hossein Kazemi, Senior Advisor, FDP Institute, discussed the importance of small variations in the implementation protocol of applied studies. This presentation shared why we advocate the usefulness of reporting a wide range of outcomes in empirical work, based on many variations of design choices. This allows us to characterize the effects more exhaustively and leads to more robust conclusions. We illustrated these ideas in two studies: one on equity premium prediction and one on portfolio sorts (asset pricing anomalies, i.e., factors).
Panelists: Guillaume Coqueret, Associate Professor, Emlyon Business School, and Hossein Kazemi, PhD, CFA, Senior Advisor, FDP Institute
UniFi by CAIA™ – The Evolution of Private Debt in Advisor Portfolios
Wednesday, May 3, 2023, 10:00 am Time zone: ET
Description: Private debt has been one of the fastest-growing private market strategies since the global financial crisis. What once was a niche strategy pursued by hedge funds and private equity GPs has grown into a diverse and standalone industry. This panel discussion covers the evolution of the industry, current themes, considerations, and approaches to implementation for clients seeking differentiated income and diversification. We also discuss CAIA Association’s recently announced learning platform, UniFi by CAIA™ which targets the education gap in the Wealth Management Industry, as well as our newly released Private Debt Microcredential.
Panelists: Charles Gans-Lartey, CFA, Principal, Credit Product Specialist, Ares Management Corporation, Sylvia Kwan, PhD, CAIA, CFA, Chief Investment Officer, Ellevest, Jess Larsen, Founder and CEO, Briarcliffe Credit Partners, and moderated by Aaron Filbeck, CAIA, CFA, CFP®, CIPM, FDP; Managing Director and Head of UniFi by CAIA™, CAIA Association
How to Build Better Portfolios in Python Using Riskfolio-Lib
Tuesday, April 18, 2023, 11:00 am Time zone: ET
Description: In this webinar, we introduced you to Riskfolio-Lib, a powerful open-source library for portfolio optimization in Python created by Dany Cajas. Riskfolio-Lib provides a range of portfolio optimization techniques, risk management tools, and performance analytics to help investors design and manage their portfolios effectively. Dany Cajas demonstrated some popular use cases and discussed with FDP Charterholder, Cordell Tanny how this library has evolved. It includes not only traditional methods of optimization, but also contains some of the most modern techniques available.
Panelists: Dany Cajas, Riskfolio-Lib Creator, and Cordell Tanny, CFA, FRM, FDP, Portfolio Management & Quantitative Analysis Expert
Deep Neural Net Applications on Trading and Risks
Thursday, April 13, 2023, 11:00 am Time zone: ET
Description: Many cutting-edge and AI/ML technologies have matured from R&D into robust tools in the past few years. Successful applications tend to be correctly scoped to provide immediate impact (3-6 months) to resolve existing bottlenecks, and by re-imagining a fresh approach on ‘how things are done’, through re-working of critical but implicit/unquestioned assumptions. This talk between Dr. Hossein Kazemi, FDP Institute and Dr. Gary Wong, Artemis AG focused on applying Deep Neural Net (DNN) on 2 areas.
Panelists: Hossein Kazemi, PhD, CFA, Senior Advisor, FDP Institute, and Dr. Gary Wong, Business and AI/ML Applications Development, Artemis AG
UniFi by CAIA™ – Introducing the Private Debt Microcredential: Why and How?
Tuesday, April 4, 2023, 9:00 am Time zone: ET
Description: Private debt is an enormously popular alternative investment asset. Given its volume history and upward trajectory, there is no wonder why private wealth management teams find it compelling.
Master this in-demand industry knowledge with the UniFi by CAIA™ Private Debt Microcredential.
In this session, we shared why this microcredential is designed specifically to meet the private debt educational needs of the broader private wealth management industry, including asset management/GP distribution, intermediaries, and independent financial advisors.
We also gave an "inside look" at a private debt module and how to access the UniFi by CAIA™ platform to get started immediately!
Panelists: Aaron Filbeck, CAIA, CFA, CFP®, CIPM, FDP, Managing Director, Head of UniFi by CAIA™, and Claire Sawyer, Relationship Manager, UniFi by CAIA™
How Should Long-Term Investors Form Portfolios?
Tuesday, March 28, 2023, 11:00 am Time zone: ET
Description: Nowadays, the availability of alternative data and their adoption in the asset management industry to improve investment decision processes is a widespread alternative approach. It comes with the help of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence techniques that allow the processing of these data, reducing their noise, and converging Big Data into Smart Data.
Russ Goyenko discussed with Dr. Hossein Kazemi how long-term investors should form portfolios. They delved into how they should evaluate securities, portfolios, and managers. Watch to learn more about how they adapt to time-varying expected returns, volatilities, correlations, and many factors, signals, and strategies.
Panelists: Hossein Kazemi, PhD, CFA, Senior Advisor, FDP Institute, Russ Goyenko, Associate Professor of Finance, McGill University, and Claude Perron, Founder, FIAM
CAIA Association & ComplianceAsia - APAC’s Compliance and Regulatory Landscape: Key Themes and Trends to Keep You Updated and Informed
Wednesday, March 22, 2023, 12:00 pm Time zone: HKT
Description: APAC’s Compliance and Regulatory Landscape continues to evolve. With impacts from western regulatory leaders increasingly being adopted, alongside homegrown developments, fast-paced integration and change is certainly seen throughout the APAC. This too is presenting a more unified field and robust framework across the industry.
To learn more, watch to hear from ComplianceAsia’s Founder and CEO – Philippa Allen – as she shared her insights on core themes impacting the field, touched on recent enforcement trends, spotlighted advancements in cybersecurity, AML, and took us through suggestions on what’s likely ahead.
Philippa’s presentation was followed by a conversation moderated by CAIA’s APAC Managing Director, Jo Murphy where themes showcased during the presentation was discussed and audience questions addressed.
Panelists: Philippa Allen, Founder and CEO, ComplianceAsia, and moderated by Jo Murphy, Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Industry Relations, CAIA Association
CAIA Association & AIBC Boot Camp 2023 - Digital Assets & Institutional Portfolios
Thursday, March 16, 2023, 8:00 pm Time zone: HKT
Description: In Q4 2022, Coinbase surveyed 140 institutional investors to gauge the sentiment of digital assets. 72% of respondents had a positive view and indicated that digital assets are here to stay. While many institutions may not have made a direct investment into digital assets (i.e. buying bitcoin), exposures to digital assets and blockchain technology are very likely in the vast majority of institutional portfolios whether it be through a venture capital fund, hedge fund, or publicly traded company. Given the prevalence and outlook for continued growth in this area, it is essential for investors to know what is in their portfolio and how it differs across the different avenues.
Panelists: Steven Novakovic, CAIA, CFA, Managing Director, CAIA Curriculum, CAIA Association, Greg Kaufmann, CAIA, CAIA Atlanta Chapter Head & NYC Executive Committee, and moderated by Marx Wong, Executive Director of Special Projects, AIBC
CAIA Association & AIBC Boot Camp 2023 - Private Debt: An Overview and Current Considerations - with SMU APECS
Thursday, March 9, 2023, 8:00 pm Time zone: HKT
Description: This session covered the fundamentals of private debt strategies, followed by a short, moderated panel discussion on some current events and other considerations when looking at this $1 trillion+ industry.
Panelists: Aaron Filbeck, CAIA, CFA, CFP®, CIPM, FDP, Managing Director, Head of UniFi by CAIA™, Yingwen Chin, CAIA, Partner, Albourne Partners Asia, CAIA Hong Kong Chapter Executive, Stephen Hull, CAIA, CFA, Partner, Chief Operating Officer, Zerobridge Partners Asset Management, and moderated by Adriel Tay, Vice-President of Business Development, SMU APECS
Upcoming Infoseries
There are no upcoming infoseries in the region at this time.
Past Infoseries
UniFi by CAIA™ – The Evolution of Private Debt in Advisor Portfolios
Wednesday, May 3, 2023, 10:00 am Time zone: ET
Description: Private debt has been one of the fastest-growing private market strategies since the global financial crisis. What once was a niche strategy pursued by hedge funds and private equity GPs has grown into a diverse and standalone industry. This panel discussion covers the evolution of the industry, current themes, considerations, and approaches to implementation for clients seeking differentiated income and diversification. We also discuss CAIA Association’s recently announced learning platform, UniFi by CAIA™ which targets the education gap in the Wealth Management Industry, as well as our newly released Private Debt Microcredential.
Panelists: Charles Gans-Lartey, CFA, Principal, Credit Product Specialist, Ares Management Corporation, Sylvia Kwan, PhD, CAIA, CFA, Chief Investment Officer, Ellevest, Jess Larsen, Founder and CEO, Briarcliffe Credit Partners, and moderated by Aaron Filbeck, CAIA, CFA, CFP®, CIPM, FDP; Managing Director and Head of UniFi by CAIA™, CAIA Association
UniFi by CAIA™ – Introducing the Private Debt Microcredential: Why and How?
Tuesday, April 4, 2023, 9:00 am Time zone: ET
Description: Private debt is an enormously popular alternative investment asset. Given its volume history and upward trajectory, there is no wonder why private wealth management teams find it compelling.
Master this in-demand industry knowledge with the UniFi by CAIA™ Private Debt Microcredential.
In this session, we shared why this microcredential is designed specifically to meet the private debt educational needs of the broader private wealth management industry, including asset management/GP distribution, intermediaries, and independent financial advisors.
We also gave an "inside look" at a private debt module and how to access the UniFi by CAIA™ platform to get started immediately!
Panelists: Aaron Filbeck, CAIA, CFA, CFP®, CIPM, FDP, Managing Director, Head of UniFi by CAIA™, and Claire Sawyer, Relationship Manager, UniFi by CAIA™
CAIA Atlanta Conscious Wealth Webinar: How Much Money is Enough? Finding Balance and Purpose in Our Relationship with Money
Tuesday, March 7, 2023, 2:00 pm Time zone: ET
Description: Though our jobs revolve around money, how often do we stop and examine our personal and societal relationship to it? CAIA Atlanta hosted a panel discussion exploring more philosophical thinking about the role of money in our lives. We delved into:
- The benefits of cultivating an abundance mindset vs. a scarcity mindset in ourselves and others.
- The power of generosity and how it can improve our well-being.
- Practical tips to help us earn, spend, invest, and give with purpose.
Panelists: Amber Kizilbash, COO, Lenox Park Solutions, Ellen Rogin, Abundance Activist, Create Great, Brandon Hatton, Investment Advisor, Hatton Investments, and moderated by Greg Kaufmann, Chapter Lead, CAIA Atlanta
From TradFi to DeFi Through the Lens of Experience
Tuesday, February 21, 2023, 9:00 am Time zone: ET
Description: The CAIA Boston Chapter presented a virtual panel discussion of global leaders who have led significant financial service organizations through periods of change and innovation over the last couple of decades. Learn how they have taken, adapted, and augmented those skills in this new era of digital disruption and innovation 2.0, under the broad heading of DeFi. How do they assess the new opportunities within a sea of disruption, and learn why the underpinnings of risk management, process, and procedure remain so critically important for a sustainable business model.
Panelists: Bill Kelly, CAIA, CEO, CAIA Association, Julia Bonafede, CFA, Co-Founder, Rosetta Analytics, Jane Buchan, CEO, Martlet Asset Management, Zoe Cruz, Founder & CEO, Menai Financial Group, Jennifer Murphy, Founder & CEO, Runa Digital Assets, and Jennifer Tribush, CAIA Boston Chapter and Senior Vice President, Global Head of Alternatives Product, State Street
Women & Wealth Management: The Impact of the Great Wealth Transfer
Thursday, October 20, 2022, 12:00 pm Time zone: ET
Description: Much has been written about the great wealth transfer expected this decade. It is estimated that women will assume control of nearly thirty trillion dollars within the next ten years. Additionally, they will continue to earn more, as business founders with women-owned companies reaching “unicorn status” grew from 18 to 83 between 2020 to 2021 alone! How does this wealth transfer and growth for women impact the private wealth management industry, and, more broadly, the asset management industry? How must the industry change to meet the needs of this growing body of wealthy women? This session offered a discussion around examining the unique challenges posed to the industry associated with women as clients and investors. Both advisors and the industry will need to evolve to meet the distinctive needs of women – their perspectives, attitudes, and strategies.
Panelists: Katrina Dudley, CFA, CAIA, Senior Vice President, Portfolio Manager and Investment Strategist, Franklin Templeton Investments, Sylvia Kwan, Ph.D., CFA, CAIA, Chief Investment Officer, Ellevest, Cara M. Wood CFA, CAIA, Senior Wealth Manager, BNY Mellon Wealth Management, Debbie McLean; Foundation President, Global Head of DEI, CAIA Association, and moderated by Sarah Auerbach; Managing Director, Operations, UniFi by CAIA™, CAIA Association
FDP Candidate Orientation - Q4-2022 Exam
Wednesday, September 21, 2022, 11:00 am Time zone: ET
Description: To support FDP Candidates and those considering the pursuit of the FDP Charter, we offered a brief, live webinar with our Curriculum team. A typical Orientation Session includes the following:
• Review sample exam questions.
• Learn exam-taking tips.
• Have your questions answered by our exam experts.
Formal remarks of the presentation lasted approximately 45 minutes, with 15 minutes for Q&A.
Panelists: Hossein Kazemi, PhD, CFA, Senior Advisor, FDP Institute
Understanding the Landscape of Quantitative Investing
Tuesday, August 30, 2022, 11:00 am Time zone: ET
Description: What types of managers and strategies use quantitative techniques such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, regression, and backtesting? What do investors need to understand before making allocations to these strategies? What due diligence considerations are specifically helpful when evaluating quantitative managers? Albourne Partners, AIMA, and FDP Institute hosted a discussion on quantitative investing. Dr. Keith Black, FDP Institute discussed the landscape of quantitative investing with Michelle Noyes, AIMA and Michael Ide, Albourne Partners.
The Financial Data Professional Institute (FDPI), established by CAIA Association, has designed a self-study program to provide financial professionals with an efficient path to learn the essential aspects of financial data science.
Panelists: Michelle Noyes, CAIA, Managing Director, Alternative Investment Management Association (AIMA), Michael Ide, CFA, IDD Analyst, Albourne Partners, and Keith Black, PhD, CAIA, CFA, FDP, Senior Advisor, FDP Institute
Wealth Management – Establishing a Roadmap to an Improved Client Experience
Wednesday, July 27, 2022, 12:00 pm Time zone: ET
Description: With the intersection of product democratization and the evolution of advice in the wealth management space many questions arise:
- What is the role of governance?
- How important is product knowledge?
- What is the true meaning of funded contentment beyond the four corners of your financial balance sheet?
Panelists Brian Portnoy, CFA and Founder of Shaping Wealth; Martina Kelly, Director of Funds, IOB Ireland; Aaron Filbeck, CAIA, CFA, CIPM, FDP, Managing Director, and Head of UniFi by CAIA™, CAIA Association, and moderated by Laura Merlini, CAIA, Managing Director, EMEA, Industry Relations, CAIA Association held a lively discussion exploring the evolution of the wealth management space.
Panelists: Brian Portnoy, CFA, Founder of Shaping Wealth, Martina Kelly, Director of Funds, IOB Ireland, Aaron Filbeck, CAIA, CFA, CIPM, FDP, Managing Director, and Head of UniFi by CAIA™, CAIA Association, and moderated by Laura Merlini, CAIA, Managing Director, EMEA, Industry Relations, CAIA Association
CAIA/AIMA Alternative Investment Boot Camp (June 15 - June 17)
Wednesday, June 15, 2022, 12:00 pm Time zone: ET
Session 1: The State of Alternative Investments
Description: In this first session of the internship boot camp with AIMA & CAIA Association, we covered an overview of alternative investments and addressed current trends across the industry and asset classes.
Panelists: Claire Sawyer; Relationship Manager, UniFi by CAIA™, CAIA Association, Michelle Noyes, CAIA; Managing Director, Americas, AIMA, and Aaron Filbeck, CAIA, CFA, CIPM, FDP; Managing Director and Head of UniFi by CAIA™, CAIA Association
Thursday, June 16 – 12:00pm Time zone: ET
Session 2: Alternative Data and ESG Investing
Description: In this second session of the internship boot camp with AIMA & CAIA Association, we covered the differences between traditional and alternative data, applications of both, and how it relates to ESG investing.
Panelists: Claire Sawyer; Relationship Manager, UniFi by CAIA™, CAIA Association, Aaron Filbeck, CAIA, CFA, CIPM, FDP; Managing Director and Head of UniFi by CAIA™, CAIA Association, and Keith Black, PhD, CAIA, CFA, FDP; Managing Director and Program Director, FDP Institute
Friday, June 17 – 12:00pm Time zone: ET
Session 3: Practitioner Career Panel
Description: In this third web seminar, Rom Beneche, Director, AIMA, hosted a panel of industry professionals talking about their career paths and how they made it from their university days to the roles they hold today. Panelists covered a range of investment and non-investment roles in the alternatives industry.
Panelists: Victoria Hart, Investor Relations Principal, Versor Investments, Jessica Henry, ESG Analyst, Man Group, Zachary Bird, CPA, Manager, Marcum, and moderated by Rom Beneche, Director, AIMA
UniFi by CAIA™ – The Future of Wealth Management
Tuesday, June 7, 2022, 11:00 am Time zone: ET
Description: The democratization of alternative investments beyond the institutional allocator salutes a new investor – the individual. Clients are finding their desired financial outcomes to be ever more elusive, resulting in a wave of new and innovative investment products coming to market. While this sparks investor interest, it also highlights a critical education gap across the entire value chain of the private wealth management industry. This panel discussion explored the evolution of the private wealth management industry, whose investment toolkit is increasingly being augmented by the ongoing democratization of alternative investment strategies, and further introduced CAIA Association’s recently announced learning platform, UniFi by CAIA™.
Panelists: Claire Sawyer, Relationship Manager, UniFi by CAIA™, CAIA Association, Anna Snider, CAIA, Head of Due Diligence, Global Wealth and Investment Management, Bank of America, Fran Kinniry, CFA, Principal, Head of Vanguard Investment Advisory Research Center, Vanguard, Aaron Filbeck, CAIA, CFA, CIPM, FDP, Managing Director and Head of UniFi by CAIA™, CAIA Association, and moderated by Bill Kelly, CAIA, CEO, CAIA Association
Upcoming Infoseries
There are no upcoming infoseries in the region at this time.
Past Infoseries
CAIA Association & ComplianceAsia - APAC’s Compliance and Regulatory Landscape: Key Themes and Trends to Keep You Updated and Informed
Wednesday, March 22, 2023, 12:00 pm Time zone: HKT
Description: APAC’s Compliance and Regulatory Landscape continues to evolve. With impacts from western regulatory leaders increasingly being adopted, alongside homegrown developments, fast-paced integration and change is certainly seen throughout the APAC. This too is presenting a more unified field and robust framework across the industry.
To learn more, watch to hear from ComplianceAsia’s Founder and CEO – Philippa Allen – as she shared her insights on core themes impacting the field, touched on recent enforcement trends, spotlighted advancements in cybersecurity, AML, and took us through suggestions on what’s likely ahead.
Philippa’s presentation was followed by a conversation moderated by CAIA’s APAC Managing Director, Jo Murphy where themes showcased during the presentation was discussed and audience questions addressed.
Panelists: Philippa Allen, Founder and CEO, ComplianceAsia, and moderated by Jo Murphy, Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Industry Relations, CAIA Association
CAIA Association & AIBC Boot Camp 2023 - Digital Assets & Institutional Portfolios
Thursday, March 16, 2023, 8:00 pm Time zone: HKT
Description: In Q4 2022, Coinbase surveyed 140 institutional investors to gauge the sentiment of digital assets. 72% of respondents had a positive view and indicated that digital assets are here to stay. While many institutions may not have made a direct investment into digital assets (i.e. buying bitcoin), exposures to digital assets and blockchain technology are very likely in the vast majority of institutional portfolios whether it be through a venture capital fund, hedge fund, or publicly traded company. Given the prevalence and outlook for continued growth in this area, it is essential for investors to know what is in their portfolio and how it differs across the different avenues.
Panelists: Steven Novakovic, CAIA, CFA, Managing Director, CAIA Curriculum, CAIA Association, Greg Kaufmann, CAIA, CAIA Atlanta Chapter Head & NYC Executive Committee, and moderated by Marx Wong, Executive Director of Special Projects, AIBC
CAIA Association & AIBC Boot Camp 2023 - Private Debt: An Overview and Current Considerations - with SMU APECS
Thursday, March 9, 2023, 8:00 pm Time zone: HKT
Description: This session covered the fundamentals of private debt strategies, followed by a short, moderated panel discussion on some current events and other considerations when looking at this $1 trillion+ industry.
Panelists: Aaron Filbeck, CAIA, CFA, CFP®, CIPM, FDP, Managing Director, Head of UniFi by CAIA™, Yingwen Chin, CAIA, Partner, Albourne Partners Asia, CAIA Hong Kong Chapter Executive, Stephen Hull, CAIA, CFA, Partner, Chief Operating Officer, Zerobridge Partners Asset Management, and moderated by Adriel Tay, Vice-President of Business Development, SMU APECS
CAIA Association & AIBC Boot Camp 2023 - An Introduction to Alternative Investments – Where are the Opportunities? Are You Ready?
Thursday, March 2, 2023, 8:00 pm Time zone: HKT
Description: The world of alternative investments and interest in them has never been greater. Stimulated by investors keen to seek alternative forms of investment products, delivering differentiating return sources, and diversifying away from a more traditional equity / fixed income and cash portfolio, understanding this sector is key. Watch Jo and Will as they shared their views, provided key take-aways and answered your questions to ensure you’re ready to take advantage of what future career opportunities might hold.
Panelists: Jo Murphy, Managing Director, Asia Pacific, CAIA Association, Will Wang CAIA, CMT, CFA, Managing Director, VP Wealth Management (Hong Kong), and moderated by Guang Zhe Teh, Head of Special Projects, AIBC
CAIA Association & Teneo: Leadership Alpha in Private Equity
Thursday, January 12, 2023, 12:00 pm Time zone: HKT
Description: This CAIA Association and Teneo webinar discussed “Leadership Alpha in Private Equity”, the latest in the series of value creation research publications recently published by Teneo. Leadership is the most important driver of company performance and, therefore, a fundamental component of Operational Alpha. Yet, despite leadership’s contribution to investment returns and the significant effort by private equity firms to articulate their value creation credentials, evidence suggests that GPs’ efforts to measure and optimise portfolio leadership are often unstructured and deprioritised – a paradox for an industry that is supposedly obsessed with, and paid for, performance. We invited Dr. Ashby Monk and Josh Lewsey to delve further into this topic and explore what opportunities exist to enhance operational alpha across the various investment levels of asset owners, GPs and investee companies.
Panelists: Dr. Ashby Monk, Executive Director, Stanford Research Initiative on Long Term Investing, Josh Lewsey, CEO, Financial Advisory, APAC, Teneo, and moderated by Jo Murphy, Managing Director, APAC, CAIA Association
CAIA Association's 10 Lessons in Finance 2022
Thursday, October 27, 2022, 4:30 pm Time zone: IST
Session 1: Portfolio for the Future
Description: How can investment professionals meet their clients' needs under ever-changing economic and market conditions? We call future-proofed portfolios the Portfolio for the Future™. The five distinct marks of the Portfolio for the Future™ are the defining features of all-weather portfolios that meet the challenges of the global economy and capital markets. The 5 marks are – Broadly Diversified, Less Liquid, Rooted in a Fiduciary Mindset, Actively Engaged and Dependent on Operational Alpha.
Panelists: Jayne Bok, CAIA, CFA, Head of Investments, Willis Towers Watson, Elena Manola-Bonthond, CAIA, CIO, CERN Pension Fund, and moderated by John Bowman, CFA, Executive Vice President, CAIA Association
Tuesday, November 1, 2022, 4:30 pm Time zone: IST
Session 2: Investment and Risk Management Using Commodities
Description: This webinar focused on commodities with an eye on risk management and financial gain, which included discussions on:
1. Commodity derivatives.
2. Understanding the modalities and mechanisms of hedge transactions.
3. Taxation and accounting rules are progressively being reformed to encourage commodity price hedging.
4. In recent times there is growing interest in commodity investing because of their unique characteristics like the ability to hedge inflation risk, insure against event risks, portfolio diversification etc. The entry of Mutual Funds in the commodity space is also taking commodity investment to retail investors.
5. Commodity investment is unique as exposure to commodities (generally) involves exposure to two asset classes: (i) Commodity and (ii) US dollar.
Panelists: Nazir Ahmed Moulvi, Senior Manager, Multi Commodity Exchange of India Ltd. (MCX), Sambit Patnaik, Vice President - FIMG, Multi Commodity Exchange of India Ltd., Sandeep Daga, Founder & Director, Regsus Consulting, Aurobinda Gayan, Head Commodity Strategy, Tata Mutual Fund, and moderated by Shreekant Daga, CAIA, CFA, FRM, Associate Director, Liaison Office, India, CAIA Association
Thursday, November 3, 2022, 4:30 pm Time zone: IST
Session 3: Evolution of Digital Assets
Description: As digital assets continue to gather broad appeal as an asset class, and flourish by creating an entirely new financial ecosystem, it is important to understand how we define these assets, their key characteristics, the regulations related to this emerging asset class, and challengers when accessing to these assets. In this session, Sharon Liebowitz, Senior Director of Innovation and Strategy Indices at S&P DJI was joined by Steve Novakovic, MD Curriculum, CAIA Association and Hosein Kazemi, Senior Advisor, FDP Institute to deep dive into the digital asset ecosystem, analyzing the performance attributes and potential risk of digital assets; how innovative solutions such as digital asset indices could potentially provide market participants to measure and assess this emerging asset class; and the future development of the digital asset landscape.
Panelists: Sharon Liebowitz, Head of Innovation, S&P Dow Jones Indices, Hossein Kazemi, PhD, CFA, Senior Advisor, FDP Institute, and moderated by Steven Novakovic, CAIA, CFA, Managing Director, CAIA Curriculum, CAIA Association
Wednesday, November 9, 2022, 4:30 pm Time zone: IST
Session 4: Relevance of Gold as a Strategic Asset
Description: Gold has remained the most precious asset in our lives ever since the concept of wealth creation was curated by human civilisation. Our country is the second-largest consumer of gold worldwide, and Indian people possess a profound attachment with gold, considering it an integral part of auspicious occasions. The webinar covered the drivers of gold demand in India. Thoughts were shared on why gold is to be looked at as a strategic asset class. The webinar culminated with outlook for gold.
Panelists: Sheela Kulkarni, Head of Market Development (Investment) & Institutional Investor Relationships, India, World Gold Council, Juan Carlos Artigas, Head of Research, World Gold Council, Jaspar Crawley, CAIA, Head of Institutional Sales, APAC ex China, World Gold Council, Mukesh Kumar, Senior Analyst, India, World Gold Council, and moderated by Deepti Sagar, CAIA, Director, Atom Privé Financial Services
Thursday, November 10, 2022, 4:30 pm Time zone: IST
Session 5: Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs) – An Emerging Investment Avenue
Description: Alternative investment funds (AIFs) have gained much traction in India and overseas in recent years, especially among high net-worth individuals, as they warm up to sophisticated capital market instruments. With the increasing popularity of the product it becomes very important to provide better access to these products in terms of disclosures and benchmarking to enable investors take an informed decision.
Panelists: Parth Pandya, Manager, CRISIL Limited, Mandar Mhatre, CEO, Epic Investments Partners, and moderated by Piyush Gupta, Director, CRISIL Limited
Tuesday, November 15, 2022, 4:30 pm Time zone: IST
Session 6: Venture Capital (VC) Investment - The Founder's Insights
Description: In this webinar, we assembled Mumbai-based young enthusiastic business founders, heard their thoughts on the Venture Capital (VC) industry, and learned about its funding mechanics. The switch here is that we heard what the investee company think about the VC investments they receive. The founders shared their thoughts and insights on fund raising activities, and revealed the good, the great, and the ugly from their experiences.
Panelists: Rajit Bhattacharya, CEO and Founder, Data Sutram, Nishita Agarwal, Co-Founder & CEO, Coexistence Healthcare Pvt Ltd., Manas Madhu, Founder, Beyond Snack, and moderated by Jo Murphy, Managing Director, APAC, CAIA Association
Thursday, November 17, 2022, 4:30 pm Time zone: IST
Session 7: Investment Risk Management
Description: The overall value of investment faces threat from various risk factors and it is vital to uncover all of them for a healthy financial ecosystem. Key risk groups, such as market, credit, operation, and liquidity are at play at different times for different entities. Risk management can be accomplished by diversification using alternative investments. However, Financial institutions, in times of crisis or otherwise, are required to use regulatory and supervisory oversight to define a meaningful risk-appetite framework and accomplish risk management.
Panelists: Shreekant Daga, CAIA, CFA, FRM, Associate Director, Liaison Office, India, CAIA Association, Tirthankar Patnaik, PhD, Chief Economist, National Stock Exchange of India Limited, Pradeep Rangi, Chief Risk Officer, Airtel Payments Bank, Ankan Mondal, Chief Risk Officer, Tata Investment Corporation, and moderated by Abhilash Misra, Chief Executive Officer, NSE Academy Ltd.
Tuesday, November 22, 2022, 4:30 pm Time zone: IST
Session 8: Portfolio Construction in Wealth Management
Description: This webinar focused on how wealth management firms through private bankers or registered investment advisors are helping build diversified portfolios with the help of alternative investments. It took a dive into investment literacy challenges, building risk-return expectations, meeting client objectives and constraints while balancing competition and AUM targets. The viewpoints shared contrast between emerging and developed markets. Given the lower correlated nature of private assets with public assets the thoughts shared are to help build better efficient frontiers for the client.
Panelists: Shreekant Daga, CAIA, CFA, FRM, Associate Director, Liaison Office, India, CAIA Association, Gautam Kalia, CAIA, SVP and Head - Super Investor, Sharekhan, and moderated by Aaron Filbeck, CAIA, CFA, CFP®, CIPM, FDP, Managing Director, Head of UniFi by CAIA™, CAIA Association
Thursday, November 24, 2022, 4:30 pm Time zone: IST
Session 9: Does India Need More Fund Managers?
Description: As the Indian economy continues to grow and see its best years ahead, there is an increasing need for fund managers who can help investors protect and generate wealth and invest the country's capital wisely. While there are already a number of fund managers in India, it is estimated that the country will need even more in the coming years in order to keep up with the demand.
Panelists: Alok Jain, Founder & Smallcase Manager, Weekend Investing, Divam Sharma, Founder & Smallcase Manager, Green Portfolio, and moderated by Rakesh Rathod, Vice President, SmallCase
Tuesday, November 29, 2022, 4:30 pm Time zone: IST
Session 10: Capital Raising in a Post-Inflationary World
Description: SPACs have become a popular alternative to IPOs over the past 20 years. SPACs offers some advantages to IPOs, and its unique structure of SPACs is ideally suited for growth companies with novel, hard-to-value business models. With the return of inflation and high interest rates, the sustainability of some of these business models have come under question. Also, the structure of SPACs have come under scrutiny in the US and elsewhere, with different jurisdictions trying different approaches to refine their regulations to offer transparency and address investor protection concerns.
Panelists: Amy Yau, Director, BDO Limited, and moderated by Sivananth Ramachandran, CFA, CIPM, Director, Capital Markets Policy India, CFA Institute
FDP Charter Information Session (Q4-2022 exam) - APAC
Thursday, July 7, 2022, 8:30 am Time zone: HKT
Description: There's never been a more crucial time to stand out. The transformative effect of data science on the finance industry requires today's finance professionals to understand the application of big data, data mining, workflow automation and machine learning in investment decisions. The Financial Data Professional (FDP) is a global designation for investment professionals with data science skills. The Financial Data Professional Institute (FDPI), established by CAIA Association, has designed a self-study program to provide financial professionals with an efficient path to learn the essential aspects of financial data science. Senior Advisor, Hossein Kazemi and Managing Director, Joanne Murphy, Asia Pacific Industry Relations, CAIA Association shared how you can obtain your Financial Data Professional credential.
Panelists: Joanne Murphy, Managing Director, Asia Pacific Industry Relations, CAIA Association, and Hossein Kazemi, PhD, CFA, Senior Advisor, FDP Institute
Where is the Opportunity for SPACs now? co-hosted with CAIA Hong Kong
Wednesday, June 8, 2022, 12:00 pm Time zone: HKT
Description: The last 18 months has seen the market sentiment for SPACs change materially - from enthusiasm and exuberance to one of the apathy and confusion. This shift was predominantly driven by the poor share price performance post listing as well as a number of market misconceptions around the SPAC product. Based on a CNBC report in September 2021, 97% of SPACs are trading below their key offer price. In this webinar, our speakers discussed the market environment for SPACs, if and why SPACs may remain relevant going forward and why they are being actively encouraged by new exchange venues such as Hong Kong and Singapore. Finally, we examined the investment opportunities they present to different types of investors.
Panelists: Manoj Jain, Co-Founder, Co-CIO, Maso Capital, Keith Black, PhD, CFA, CAIA, FDP, Managing Director, Program Director, FDP Institute, and moderated by Yingwen Chin, CAIA, Partner, Albourne Partners Asia, CAIA Hong Kong Chapter Executive
The Portfolio for the Future - APAC
Thursday, April 21, 2022, 12:00 pm Time zone: HKT
Description: The Portfolio for the Future simultaneously represents a “back to basics” mantra and a forward-looking view of where our industry and capital markets are headed. What defined success over the past decades may very well be at a tipping point at a time where many of these secular trends may be challenged moving forward. Rising inflation, tightening monetary policy, low and volatile interest rates, and high valuations mean that the Portfolio for the Future will be defined by five distinct “marks”: Broadly Diversified, Less Liquid, Rooted in a Fiduciary Mindset, Actively Engaged, and Dependent on Operational Alpha.
Panelists: Bill Kelly, CEO, CAIA Association, John Bowman, CFA, Executive Vice President, CAIA Association, and Jo Murphy, Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Industry Relations, CAIA Association
Film & TV Media Investments: 2022's Hot New Alternative?
Wednesday, April 6, 2022, 12:30 pm Time zone: HKT
Description: In this webcast, learn from fellow CAIA Member and Media Alternative Asset Manager Adam Guy Orlebar Garrett on how the increased competition from Amazon, Apple, and Disney+ has irrevocably changed the media industry, as well as discussions on what opportunities have opened up for investors looking to diversify their portfolios, the important risk factors for entering the media industry for the first time, and practical advice for investors based in Asia wanting exposure to this burgeoning asset class.
Panelists: Adam Guy Orlebar Garrett, Chief Investment Officer, New Asia Ferrell Asset Management, Jo Murphy, Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Industry Relations, CAIA Association, and moderated by Theresa Han, CFA, CAIA, Managing Director, Absolute Return Strategies, CAIA Hong Kong Chapter Executive
Upcoming Infoseries
There are no upcoming infoseries in the region at this time.
Past Infoseries
European Private Credit: Opportunities Amid Uncertainty
Thursday, January 26, 2023, 5:00 pm Time zone: CET
Description: An increasing number of allocators are looking to European private credit, both as a diversifier to US direct lending and a return driver, in its own right. This educational seminar unpacked key areas of the market, ranging from European direct lending to non-sponsor, to real estate lending, specialty finance and everything in between. Along the way, we discussed the risk/return profile of each segment and specific considerations when allocating to this space. We also discussed the impact of some of the key macroeconomic and geopolitical developments, such as the war in Ukraine and a rate-raising campaign by central banks.
Panelists: Leo Fletcher-Smith, Managing Director, European Alternatives, Aksia, Jean Hsu, Managing Investment Director, CalPERS, Lei Lei, Co-Head of European Credit Opportunities, Ninety One, and moderated by William J. Kelly, CAIA, President and CEO, CAIA Association
Focus on Africa: Pension Funds: The Importance of Diversification - Series 2 - Episode 2
Tuesday, February 22, 2022, 2:00 pm Time zone: CET
Description: Diversification and digitalization are key factors in this challenging as well as shifting economy, in which African institutional investors juggle between currency restriction, language barriers and government regulation. During this webinar we speak about how to diversify investments by allocating to Alternative investments while complying to ESG standards.
Panelists: Phathutshedzo Mabogo, Deputy Chief Investment Officer, Eskom Pension and Provident Fund, Mbakisi Gopolang, Investment Analyst, Debswana Pension Fund, Yann Robbiola, Partner and CEO, LS Advisors, and Laura Merlini, CAIA, CIFD, Managing Director, EMEA, CAIA Association
Focus on Africa: Risk and Rewards: The Case for Investing in Africa - Series 2 - Episode 1
Tuesday, October 19, 2021, 3:30 pm Time zone: BST
Description: The African Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (AVCA) and the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) Association hosted a fireside chat and data presentation on private equity (PE) and venture capital (VC) investing in Africa. William (Bill) J. Kelly, President & CEO of the CAIA Association, and Abi Mustapha-Maduakor, CEO of AVCA, discussed the opportunities and challenges that are shaping the direction of private investment in Africa, including technological and digital innovation, currency risk, and the continent’s demographic dividend. As part of the webcast, AVCA’s CEO presented AVCA's latest research and findings from the 2021 H1 African PE Data Tracker, providing a provisional look at investment, exits and fundraising activity in Africa in the first half of the year.
Panelists: Abi Mustapha-Maduakor, Chief Executive Officer, African Private Equity and Venture Capital Association, and William J. Kelly, Chief Executive Officer, CAIA Association
ESG in Private Markets - Session 1 of a Series: Public to Private Markets
Tuesday, September 28, 2021, 12:00 pm Time zone: BST
Description: ESG is no longer a mere add-on in a portfolio or investment strategy. For an increasing number of investors in alternatives, a thoughtful approach to ESG issues has become table stakes. As the industry continues to define the role of ESG and develop approaches to measure and analyze the effect of these issues on their portfolios, industry professionals must continue to educate themselves about the key trends and developments related to ESG across alternative asset classes.
Listen to CAIA, in partnership with Nuveen, on a thought-provoking webinar series organized exclusively for the benefit of institutional investors across the world. In this first session, we discussed the role of data and disclosure as investor interest moves to private capital. We seek to answer the overarching question: what are some of the lessons public market investors have learned that can be mitigated or avoided in private markets?
Panelists: Debarshi Basu, Director, Head of Quantitative Research, BlackRock Sustainable Investing, Jeff Cohen, CAIA, Director of Capital Markets Integration, Head of Private Investment Initiatives, Value Reporting Foundation, Thomas Hyldahl Filholm Kjærgaard, Head of ESG, Velliv, and moderated by Tulsi Byrne, Director of ESG Integration, Fixed Income, Nuveen
Analyzing Cryptocurrency Fund Performance
Tuesday, June 29, 2021, 12:00 pm Time zone: BST
Description: This session on analyzing cryptocurrency fund performance opens with a keynote presentation by Dr. Daniele Bianchi, during which he shares his findings from his latest paper. His presentation is followed by a panel discussion with Sui Chung, CEO of CF Benchmarks, Bastien Buchwalter, Associate Professor of Finance at SKEMA Business School, and Ken Odeluga, Head of Research and Content at CF Benchmarks. The panel shares insights on performance measurement, benchmarking, and portfolio considerations within the crypto asset space.
Panelists: Daniele Bianchi, PhD, Senior Lecturer, Queen Mary University of London, Sui Chung, CEO, CF Benchmarks, Bastien Buchwalter, Assistant Professor of Finance, SKEMA Business School, and Ken Odeluga, Head of Research and Content at CF Benchmarks
Focus on Africa: Alternative Investment Due Diligence & Manager Selection - Session 5 of a Series
Tuesday, June 15, 2021, 12:00 pm Time zone: UTC
Description: During this webcast we address the story beyond the numbers of the manager selection process both globally and within the African continent. The Africa Rising narrative has been phenomenal for Africa and has led to several transformational developments. Africa continues to attract foreign institutional investors as well as a burgeoning set of local asset owners to the continent. These institutional investors utilize a broad array of alternative investment strategies in order to meet their investment and developmental objectives. We discuss asset allocation trends, evolving alternative investment strategies, and how to assess proper due diligence. In addition, learn the risks an asset owner should take into consideration, and why qualitative factors are as important or more important than quantitative factors in alternative manager due diligence.
Panelists: Keith Black, PhD, CAIA, CFA, FDP, Managing Director, Content Strategy, CAIA Association, and Hemal Naran, CAIA, Partner, Makalani Management Company
Preqin Impact Report on Women in Alternatives: A discussion with CAIA Association
Wednesday, May 26, 2021, 5:00 pm Time zone: GMT
Description: In a follow-up to Preqin’s 2020 study on Women in Alternative Assets, findings show where the biggest advances in female representation are being made, and where there is room for more proactive effort. The data in this report has been sourced from Preqin’s database of more than 200,000 industry professionals to highlight the trends in the workforces of active fund managers and investors. Listen in for a discussion on the highlights from this report and Preqin’s overview of the alternative investments landscape.
Panelists: Shifra Ansonoff, Global Head of Research & Data Operation, Preqin, Paola Bissoli, Co-Head Chapter, Zurich, Director of Business Development, Aberdeen Standard Investments, Puy Carazo, Chapter Executive, Iberia, Head of Wealth Investment Advisory, WM Spain, Elena Koycheva, CAIA, CFA, CIPM, Chapter Head, London, Bluebay Asset Management, and Silvia Writzel, Co-Head Chapter, Germany, Relationship Management, Institutional Clients, Asset Allocation AG. Moderated by Kristina Koutrakos, Chapter Head, Washington DC, Director of Portfolio Strategy, Virginia Retirement System. Opening and closing remarks by Laura Merlini, CAIA, CIFD, Managing Director, EMEA Industry Relations, CAIA Association, and Debbie McLean, Managing Director, Global Relations, CAIA Association.
Africa's Opportunities: Making Money and Delivering Impact - Session 4 of a Series
Tuesday, April 27, 2021, 11:00 am Time zone: UTC
Description: African private markets probably present the premier opportunity for investing to contribute to the UN's SDGs while also creating attractive financial returns. The potential for bringing solutions for the bottom billion, leveraging Africa's mobile infrastructure, is vast and being used by a lively and creative venture community with increasing numbers of later stage opportunities and the emergence of unicorns such as Zipline and Flutterwave. At the same time, larger buyout and growth equity opportunities in sectors such as agribusiness and related logistics, distribution, and financial services companies are creating the potential for delivering impact at scale. Impact potential includes improvements in ESG, job creation, waste reduction, and the benefits of their products, such as fertilizers and other agricultural inputs.
Panelists: Michiel Timmerman, Managing Director, Mbuyu Capital, Rotimi Oyekanmi, Partner, Apis Partners, Tom Mason, Managing Director, Dudutech, Tracey Turner, Founder, Copia Global, and Borja Pujalrás Ortuño, CAIA, MFIA, Eurocapital Wealth Management
Real Estate in Africa: The Next Boom? - Session 3 of a Series
Wednesday, March 24, 2021, 1:00 pm Time zone: GMT
Description: Real estate in Africa has been one of the most important investments and stores of value for local investors for decades. There are many historical and cultural significances to land on the continent and we are going to explore African real estate as an investable asset class for international investors and asset managers. In this webcast focused on African Real Estate moderated by Adam Camenzuli, CFA, CAIA, Dr. Laila Macharia, Caroline Armstrong-Ogwapit, and Nimeet Dodhia share insights from their combined experience highlighting African real estate as an investable asset class.
Panelists: Adam Camenzuli, CAIA, CFA, Founder, Nyum.ba, Dr. Laila Macharia, Non-Executive Director, Centum Investment Company , Nimeet Dodhia, Founder and CEO, Butterfly Properties Limited, and Caroline Armstrong-Ogwapit, Non-Executive Director, National Housing Corporation (Kenya)
Focus on Africa: Investing in African Art - Session 2 of a Series
Wednesday, February 24, 2021, 12:00 pm Time zone: GMT
Description: African Art has been one of the developing segments at auctions over the past 15 years. From a historic focus on traditional African art, the interest over the past few years has shifted to modern and contemporary. With all the recent interest in African art, is now the time to invest? If so, where should interested collectors start? What is the best way to gain an understanding of the African art market? Where do collectors buy and sell? What are the upside and risks of investing in African art? In this webcast Serge Tiroche, interviewed by Christine Bourron, shares insights from his experience building a private collection, focused on contemporary art from across Africa and the diaspora.
Panelists: Christine Bourron, CEO, Pi-eX, and Serge Tiroche, Founder, Africa First
Upcoming Infoseries
The Best of Both Worlds: Forecasting US Equity Market Returns Using a Hybrid Machine Learning-Time Series Approach
Tuesday, June 20, 2023, 11:00 am Time zone: ET
Description: Predicting long-term equity market returns is of great importance for investors to strategically allocate their assets. Harshdeep Ahluwalia, Head of Asset Allocation, Americas for Vanguard Investment Strategy Group is one of the authors invited to discuss the exploration of machine learning methods to forecast US stock returns 10-years ahead and compare the results to the traditional Shiller regression-based forecasts more commonly used in the asset-management industry.
Harshdeep will discuss with Dr. Kathryn Wilkens, Curriculum Consultant for the FDP Institute, how the authors then implemented the VAR-based two-step approach of Davis et al. (2018) with machine learning techniques and allowed for unspecified nonlinear relationships (a hybrid ML-VAR approach). They found up to 56% improvement in real-time forecast accuracy for 10-year annualized US stock returns.
Panelists: Harshdeep Ahluwalia, Head of Asset Allocation, Americas, Vanguard, and Kathryn Wilkens, PhD, CAIA, Founder, Pearl Quest, LLC
Can Large Language Models Produce More Accurate Analyst Forecasts?
Wednesday, June 21, 2023, 11:00 am Time zone: ET
Description: Russ Goyenko, Associate Professor of Finance at McGill University discusses with Dr. Hossein Kazemi how large language models can, and soon they will produce more accurate analyst forecasts. Using textual information from a complete history of regular quarterly and annual (10-Q and 10-K) filings by U.S. corporations, we train machine learning algorithms and large language models, LLMs, to predict future earnings surprises. First, the length of MD&A section on its own is negatively associated with future earnings surprises and firm returns in the cross-section. Second, neither sentiment-based nor classic NLPs approaches are able to ``learn'' from the past managerial discussions to forecast future earnings. Third, only "finance-trained" LLMs have the capacity to "understand'' the contexts of previous discussions to predict both positive and negative earnings surprises, and future firm returns.
Panelists: Hossein Kazemi, PhD, CFA, Senior Advisor, FDP Institute, Russ Goyenko, Associate Professor of Finance, McGill University, and Claude Perron, Founder, FIAM
FDP Exam: Prometric Test Center & ProProctor Remote Testing Information Session (Q4-2023 Exam)
Thursday, June 22, 2023, 11:00 am Time zone: ET
Description: Map out your learning journey to obtain the FDP Charter. The FDP team will answer questions about the FDP program, where to obtain your curriculum, prep providers, preparation for exam day and focused attention on our testing options.
Panelists: Hossein Kazemi, PhD, CFA, Senior Advisor, FDP Institute, and Kim Durand, Project & General Operations Manager, FDP Institute
Large Language Models in Finance: Advances and Impact
Tuesday, July 18, 2023, 11:00 am Time zone: ET
Description: Alik Sokolov and Kathryn Wilkens will discuss the revolution of natural language processing in recent years, and how it applies to various areas of investment management. Our ability to work with unstructured text data, which is abundant in investment management, has undergone several evolutions from the late 2010's: from sequence-to-sequence models for machine translation, to the advent of transformers and transfer learning, to the recent breakthroughs achieved by Large Language Models popularized by Chat GPT. These changes will have a profound impact on investment management, and we will examine several case studies and applications. We will also examine the long-term future of various investment and wealth management roles, and especially the long-term impact on ESG and responsible investing.
Panelists: Kathryn Wilkens, PhD, CAIA, Founder, Pearl Quest LLC, and Alik Sokolov, CEO, Responsibli
Unleashing the Power of Neural Networks: A Personal Journey into Creating and Harnessing a Neural Network for Trading Stocks
Thursday, July 20, 2023, 10:00 am Time zone: ET
Description: In a world where artificial intelligence is becoming complex and gaining influence, creating and using a machine learning model is not only a technical endeavor but also a personal journey of exploration, challenges, and growth. Tom Pickel will share his journey of building a neural network from the ground up. Tom will share his experience in creating a neural network using Python’s basic data science packages (Numpy and Pandas) for trying to predict movements in the stock market. We will mention loading data from stock markets, creating the Features and dataset, training networks, k-fold cross validation, choosing the best architectures, backtesting, choosing a trading strategy and more. This webinar presentation is intended for anyone who is interested in learning more about neural networks. No prior experience with neural networks is required, and perhaps it will enable participants to embark on their own journey towards developing their own machine learning models.
Panelists: Hossein Kazemi, PhD, CFA, Senior Advisor, FDP Institute, and Tom Pickel, CAIA, FDP, Independent Consultant, Pickel Global Finance
Past Infoseries
FDP Charter Information Session (Q4-2023 exam)
Tuesday, June 6, 2023, 11:00 am Time zone: ET
Description: There's never been a more crucial time to stand out. The transformative effect of data science on the finance industry requires today's finance professionals to understand the application of big data, data mining, workflow automation and machine learning in investment decisions. Learn more about the FDP Community along with the Charter curriculum and a roadmap to prepare for the upcoming FDP exam. This session provided an outline of the curriculum, background requirements, reading materials and study tools to help you prepare.
Panelists: Hossein Kazemi, PhD, CFA, Senior Advisor, FDP Institute, and Kim Durand, Project & General Operations Manager, FDP Institute
Forking Paths In Empirical Studies
Tuesday, May 23, 2023, 10:00 am Time zone: ET
Description: Guillaume Coqueret, Associate Professor, Emlyon Business School, and Dr. Hossein Kazemi, Senior Advisor, FDP Institute, discussed the importance of small variations in the implementation protocol of applied studies. This presentation shared why we advocate the usefulness of reporting a wide range of outcomes in empirical work, based on many variations of design choices. This allows us to characterize the effects more exhaustively and leads to more robust conclusions. We illustrated these ideas in two studies: one on equity premium prediction and one on portfolio sorts (asset pricing anomalies, i.e., factors).
Panelists: Guillaume Coqueret, Associate Professor, Emlyon Business School, and Hossein Kazemi, PhD, CFA, Senior Advisor, FDP Institute
How to Build Better Portfolios in Python Using Riskfolio-Lib
Tuesday, April 18, 2023, 11:00 am Time zone: ET
Description: In this webinar, we introduced you to Riskfolio-Lib, a powerful open-source library for portfolio optimization in Python created by Dany Cajas. Riskfolio-Lib provides a range of portfolio optimization techniques, risk management tools, and performance analytics to help investors design and manage their portfolios effectively. Dany Cajas demonstrated some popular use cases and discussed with FDP Charterholder, Cordell Tanny how this library has evolved. It includes not only traditional methods of optimization, but also contains some of the most modern techniques available.
Panelists: Dany Cajas, Riskfolio-Lib Creator, and Cordell Tanny, CFA, FRM, FDP, Portfolio Management & Quantitative Analysis Expert
Deep Neural Net Applications on Trading and Risks
Thursday, April 13, 2023, 11:00 am Time zone: ET
Description: Many cutting-edge and AI/ML technologies have matured from R&D into robust tools in the past few years. Successful applications tend to be correctly scoped to provide immediate impact (3-6 months) to resolve existing bottlenecks, and by re-imagining a fresh approach on ‘how things are done’, through re-working of critical but implicit/unquestioned assumptions. This talk between Dr. Hossein Kazemi, FDP Institute and Dr. Gary Wong, Artemis AG focused on applying Deep Neural Net (DNN) on 2 areas.
Panelists: Hossein Kazemi, PhD, CFA, Senior Advisor, FDP Institute, and Dr. Gary Wong, Business and AI/ML Applications Development, Artemis AG
How Should Long-Term Investors Form Portfolios?
Tuesday, March 28, 2023, 11:00 am Time zone: ET
Description: Nowadays, the availability of alternative data and their adoption in the asset management industry to improve investment decision processes is a widespread alternative approach. It comes with the help of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence techniques that allow the processing of these data, reducing their noise, and converging Big Data into Smart Data.
Russ Goyenko discussed with Dr. Hossein Kazemi how long-term investors should form portfolios. They delved into how they should evaluate securities, portfolios, and managers. Watch to learn more about how they adapt to time-varying expected returns, volatilities, correlations, and many factors, signals, and strategies.
Panelists: Hossein Kazemi, PhD, CFA, Senior Advisor, FDP Institute, Russ Goyenko, Associate Professor of Finance, McGill University, and Claude Perron, Founder, FIAM
Cordell Tanny Discusses Developing an Improved Investment Style Analysis Algorithm and His Journey to the FDP Designation
Thursday, March 9, 2023, 11:00 am Time zone: ET
Description: In this fireside chat and live demonstration, Cordell Tanny shared with Dr. Hossein Kazemi his journey through his financial services career and how it led him to the FDP designation. He described his experiences with the program and how the material learned in the curriculum helped him not just advance his knowledge of how machine learning and AI can be used in finance, but also how to apply many of the concepts to his daily workflow. By the end of the presentation, the audience had a better understanding of the importance of the FDP designation and gained insights into the journey of obtaining the FDP Charter. The audience also saw how open-sourced python libraries and financial data from free sources can be used to build innovative quantitative models.
Panelists: Hossein Kazemi, PhD, CFA, Senior Advisor, FDP Institute, Cordell Tanny, CFA, FDP, FRM, Portfolio Management & Quantitative Analysis Expert, and Claude Perron, Founder, FIAM
FDP Candidate Orientation - Q2-2023
Thursday, March 2, 2023, 11:00 am Time zone: ET
Description: To support FDP Candidates and those considering the pursuit of the FDP Charter, we offered a brief, live webinar with our Curriculum & Candidate Relations team to help prepare you for your exam experience. A typical Orientation Session includes:
- Review of sample exam questions.
- Learn exam-taking tips.
- Have your questions answered by our exam experts.
Panelists: Hossein Kazemi, PhD, CFA, Senior Advisor, FDP Institute, Kim Durand, Project & General Operations Manager, FDP Institute, and Claire Foley, Candidate Engagement & Marketing Associate, FDP Institute
From TradFi to DeFi Through the Lens of Experience
Tuesday, February 21, 2023, 9:00 am Time zone: ET
Description: The CAIA Boston Chapter presented a virtual panel discussion of global leaders who have led significant financial service organizations through periods of change and innovation over the last couple of decades. Learn how they have taken, adapted, and augmented those skills in this new era of digital disruption and innovation 2.0, under the broad heading of DeFi. How do they assess the new opportunities within a sea of disruption, and learn why the underpinnings of risk management, process, and procedure remain so critically important for a sustainable business model.
Panelists: Bill Kelly, CAIA, CEO, CAIA Association, Julia Bonafede, CFA, Co-Founder, Rosetta Analytics, Jane Buchan, CEO, Martlet Asset Management, Zoe Cruz, Founder & CEO, Menai Financial Group, Jennifer Murphy, Founder & CEO, Runa Digital Assets, and Jennifer Tribush, CAIA Boston Chapter and Senior Vice President, Global Head of Alternatives Product, State Street
How is ESG Reshaping the Alternative Investment Business?
Wednesday, February 15, 2023, 10:00 am Time zone: ET
Description: Today, ESG is no longer just an acronym but a reality, expected to reach a third of assets under management by 2025. It is spreading across all asset classes, including the less liquid ones. ESG now defines the new frontier of alternative investments. Our speakers had a lively discussion on the recent trends in alternative investments, how ESG impacts the alternative investment business and the important role of data.
Panelists: Florence Angles, Managing Principal, Capco, and Julia Bonafede, Co-Founder, Rosetta Analytics, Laura Merlini, CAIA, CIFD, Managing Director, EMEA Industry Relations, CAIA Association, and moderated by Mehrzad Mahdavi, Executive Director, FDP Institute
FDP Review of Prometric Test Center and ProProctor Remote Testing for the Q2-2023 Exam
Wednesday, January 25, 2023, 11:00 am Time zone: ET
Description: We covered reading materials, study tools, preparation for exam day, the demo exam and a review of the testing options. FDP Candidates have two options for taking the FDP Exam:
- Option 1: Prometric Test Center (April 10-23, 2023)
- Option 2: Remote Proctor Testing: (April 23 & 24, 2023)
FDPI Senior Advisor, Hossein Kazemi and Project & General Operations Manager, Kim Durand shared how you can obtain your Financial Data Professional credential.
Panelists: Hossein Kazemi, PhD, CFA, Senior Advisor, FDP Institute, and Kim Durand, Project & General Operations Manager, FDP Institute
Upcoming Infoseries
There are no upcoming infoseries in the region at this time.
Past Infoseries
UniFi by CAIA™ – The Evolution of Private Debt in Advisor Portfolios
Wednesday, May 3, 2023, 10:00 am Time zone: ET
Description: Private debt has been one of the fastest-growing private market strategies since the global financial crisis. What once was a niche strategy pursued by hedge funds and private equity GPs has grown into a diverse and standalone industry. This panel discussion covers the evolution of the industry, current themes, considerations, and approaches to implementation for clients seeking differentiated income and diversification. We also discuss CAIA Association’s recently announced learning platform, UniFi by CAIA™ which targets the education gap in the Wealth Management Industry, as well as our newly released Private Debt Microcredential.
Panelists: Charles Gans-Lartey, CFA, Principal, Credit Product Specialist, Ares Management Corporation, Sylvia Kwan, PhD, CAIA, CFA, Chief Investment Officer, Ellevest, Jess Larsen, Founder and CEO, Briarcliffe Credit Partners, and moderated by Aaron Filbeck, CAIA, CFA, CFP®, CIPM, FDP; Managing Director and Head of UniFi by CAIA™, CAIA Association
UniFi by CAIA™ – Introducing the Private Debt Microcredential: Why and How?
Tuesday, April 4, 2023, 9:00 am Time zone: ET
Description: Private debt is an enormously popular alternative investment asset. Given its volume history and upward trajectory, there is no wonder why private wealth management teams find it compelling.
Master this in-demand industry knowledge with the UniFi by CAIA™ Private Debt Microcredential.
In this session, we shared why this microcredential is designed specifically to meet the private debt educational needs of the broader private wealth management industry, including asset management/GP distribution, intermediaries, and independent financial advisors.
We also gave an "inside look" at a private debt module and how to access the UniFi by CAIA™ platform to get started immediately!
Panelists: Aaron Filbeck, CAIA, CFA, CFP®, CIPM, FDP, Managing Director, Head of UniFi by CAIA™, and Claire Sawyer, Relationship Manager, UniFi by CAIA™
UniFi by CAIA™ – The Future of Wealth Management
Tuesday, June 7, 2022, 11:00 am Time zone: ET
Description: The democratization of alternative investments beyond the institutional allocator salutes a new investor – the individual. Clients are finding their desired financial outcomes to be ever more elusive, resulting in a wave of new and innovative investment products coming to market. While this sparks investor interest, it also highlights a critical education gap across the entire value chain of the private wealth management industry. This panel discussion explored the evolution of the private wealth management industry, whose investment toolkit is increasingly being augmented by the ongoing democratization of alternative investment strategies, and further introduced CAIA Association’s recently announced learning platform, UniFi by CAIA™.
Panelists: Claire Sawyer, Relationship Manager, UniFi by CAIA™, CAIA Association, Anna Snider, CAIA, Head of Due Diligence, Global Wealth and Investment Management, Bank of America, Fran Kinniry, CFA, Principal, Head of Vanguard Investment Advisory Research Center, Vanguard, Aaron Filbeck, CAIA, CFA, CIPM, FDP, Managing Director and Head of UniFi by CAIA™, CAIA Association, and moderated by Bill Kelly, CAIA, CEO, CAIA Association