A comprehensive volume that covers a complete array of traditional and alternative investment vehicles This practical guide provides a comprehensive overview of traditional and alternative investment vehicles for professional and individual investors hoping to gain a deeper understanding of the benefits and pitfalls of using these products. In it, expert authors Mark Anson, Frank Fabozzi, and Frank Jones clearly present the major principles and methods of investing and their risks and rewards. Along the way, they focus on providing you with the information needed to successfully invest using a host of different methods depending upon your needs and goals. Topics include equities, all types of fixed income securities, investment-oriented insurance products, mutual funds, closed-end funds, investment companies, exchange-traded funds, futures, options, hedge funds, private equity, and real estate Written by the expert author team of Mark Anson, Frank Fabozzi, and Frank Jones Includes valuable insights for everyone from finance professionals to individual investors Many finance books offer collections of expertise on one or two areas of finance, but The Handbook of Traditional and Alternative Investment Vehicles brings all of these topics together in one comprehensive volume.

Since the first edition of the Handbook of Alternative Assets was published, significant events-from the popping of the technology bubble and massive accounting scandals to recessions and bear markets-have shifted the financial landscape. These changes have provided author Mark J. P. Anson with an excellent opportunity to examine alternative assets during a different part of the economic cycle than previously observed in the first edition. Fully revised and updated to reflect today's financial realities, the Handbook of Alternative Assets, Second Edition covers the five major classes of alternative assets-hedge funds, commodity and managed futures, private equity, credit derivatives, and corporate governance-and outlines the strategies you can use to efficiently incorporate these assets into any portfolio. Throughout the book, new chapters have been added, different data sources accessed, and new conclusions reached. Designed as both an introduction to the world of alternative assets and as a reference for the active investor, the Handbook of Alternative Assets, Second Edition will help you match alternative assets with your various investment goals.

A comprehensive guide to the burgeoning hedge fund industry Intended as a comprehensive reference for investors and fund and portfolio managers, Handbook of Hedge Funds combines new material with updated information from Francois-Serge L’habitant’s two other successful hedge fund books. This book features up-to-date regulatory and historical information, new case studies and trade examples, detailed analyses of investment strategies, discussions of hedge fund indices and databases, and tips on portfolio construction. Francois-Serge L’habitant (Geneva, Switzerland) is the Head of Investment Research at Kedge Capital. He is Professor of Finance at the University of Lausanne and at EDHEC Business School, as well as the author of five books, including Hedge Funds: Quantitative Insights (0-470-85667-X) and Hedge Funds: Myths & Limits (0-470-84477-9), both from Wiley.

Over the last decade, socially responsible investments (SRIs) have become paramount to both professionals and academics. In the aftermath of the financial crisis of 2007-8, practitioners have become much more involved in new financial models that integrate returns and positive social and environmental impacts. The authors argue that previous irresponsible financial models are anachronistic, and propose a new relationship between stakeholder and shareholder. Starting from the mainstreaming of SRI, this book recovers the social function of banks and the innovative role of crowdfunding and venture capital models. The book offers a unified perspective for firm and funder, making it a timely and invaluable read for scholars and practitioners interested in sustainable development and social impact finance.

The first and only book to systematically address methodologies and processes of leveraging non-traditional information sources in the context of investing and risk management Harnessing non-traditional data sources to generate alpha, analyze markets, and forecast risk is a subject of intense interest for financial professionals. A growing number of regularly-held conferences on alternative data are being established, complemented by an upsurge in new papers on the subject. Alternative data is starting to be steadily incorporated by conventional institutional investors and risk managers throughout the financial world. Methodologies to analyze and extract value from alternative data, guidance on how to source data and integrate data flows within existing systems is currently not treated in literature. Filling this significant gap in knowledge, The Book of Alternative Data is the first and only book to offer a coherent, systematic treatment of the subject. This groundbreaking volume provides readers with a roadmap for navigating the complexities of an array of alternative data sources, and delivers the appropriate techniques to analyze them. The authors—leading experts in financial modeling, machine learning, and quantitative research and analytics—employ a step-by-step approach to guide readers through the dense jungle of generated data. A first-of-its kind treatment of alternative data types, sources, and methodologies, this innovative book: Provides an integrated modeling approach to extract value from multiple types of datasets Treats the processes needed to make alternative data signals operational Helps investors and risk managers rethink how they engage with alternative datasets Features practical use case studies in many different financial markets and real-world techniques Describes how to avoid potential pitfalls and missteps in starting the alternative data journey Explains how to integrate information from different datasets to maximize informational value The Book of Alternative Data is an indispensable resource for anyone wishing to analyze or monetize different non-traditional datasets, including Chief Investment Officers, Chief Risk Officers, risk professionals, investment professionals, traders, economists, and machine learning developers and users.

The expansion of the fund industry has been one of the most notable trends in the financial markets of recent years. Not only has the demand for funds among EU investors grown, but both the number and types of investment funds also continue to increase. Since investment funds available in the EU can be established both inside and outside the EU, they may be subject to different investor protection regulations, depending on where the fund is located. Accordingly, different levels of investor protection may exist between investors investing in EU funds and investors investing in non-EU funds, including US funds. This book investigates whether there is a level playing field between EU investors investing in EU funds and EU investors investing in US funds and if not, if there is a legal basis in current EU law for the EU regulator to adopt additional investor protection rules applying to investment funds. The analysis considers the basic characteristics of investment funds, how they function in practice, and how they are regulated relating to investor protection issues. Factors examined in depth include the following: – features of funds most relevant to the protection of retail investors; – operational structure, investment strategies, fee structure, and legal structure of funds; – internal control systems; – transparency and disclosure rules; – conduct of business rules; and – depositary monitoring rules. The author examines relevant EU directives and rules and the particular remit of each, as well as US law applying to investment funds that are active in the EU. Case law and relevant literature in the field is also drawn on. As an assessment of the current degree of protection applying to funds that are available to EU retail investors – as well as an up-to-date overview of regulatory requirements and procedures concerning the protection of EU investors in investment funds – this book is unsurpassed. Especially valuable is the closing discussion about whether the EU regulatory system provides for a level playing field of protection for EU retail investors, and if not which additional rules can be adopted by the EU regulator in this area. Lawyers and other professionals in all areas of law and policy concerned with investment and finance will find this book of great value.