Alternative Investments: Instruments, Performance, Benchmarks, And Strategies

A comprehensive guide to alternative investments that reveals today's latest research and strategies

Historically low interest rates and bear markets in world stock markets have generated intense interest in alternative investments. With returns in traditional investment vehicles relatively low, many professional investors view alternative investments as a means of meeting their return objectives. Alternative Investments: Instruments, Performance, Benchmarks, and Strategies, can put you in a better position to achieve this difficult goal.

Part of the Robert W. Kolb Series in Finance, Alternative Investments provides an in-depth discussion of the historic performance, benchmarks, and strategies of every major alternative investment market. With contributions from professionals and academics around the world, it offers valuable insights on the latest trends, research, and thinking in each major area. Empirical evidence about each type of alternative investment is featured, with research presented in a straightforward manner.

• Examines a variety of major alternative asset classes, from real estate, private equity, and commodities to managed futures, hedge funds, and distressed securities
• Provides detailed insights on the latest research and strategies, and offers a thorough explanation of historical performance, benchmarks, and other critical information
• Blends knowledge from the conceptual world of scholars with the pragmatic view of practitioners in this field

Alternative investments provide a means of diversification, risk control, and return enhancement and, as such, are attractive to many professional investors. If you're looking for an effective way to hone your skills in this dynamic area of finance, look no further than this book.

H. Kent Baker (Washington D.C.) is University Professor of Finance and Kogod Research Professor at the Kogod School of Business, American University He has served on several boards of directors and advisory councils including the Eastern Finance Association and Southern Finance Association, where he is currently the Vice President - Program and President elect. . Professor Baker is the author or editor of 16 books, has published more than 250 journal articles, monographs, book chapters, and proceedings as well as 350 book reviews and abstracts. Professor Baker has consulting and training experience with more than 100 organizations. These organizations include the American Bankers Association, AT&T, The CFA Institute, Central Intelligence Agency, Comptroller of the Currency, Credit Suisse, Ernst & Young, Goldman Sachs, Institute of Management Accountants, Kaplan Schweser, New York Society of Security Analysts, Saudi Aramco, UBS, and Xerox.

Greg Filbeck (Erie, PA) holds the Samuel P. Black III Professor of Insurance and Risk Management at Penn State Erie and serves as Program Chair for Finance. Before joining the Faculty at Penn State Erie in 2006, he served as Senior Vice-President of Kaplan Schweser from 1999 to 2006 where he was in charge of all content and curriculum and helped launch marketing and sales divisions of the company. He also held academic appointments at Miami University (Ohio) and the University of Toledo, where he also served as the Associate Director of the Center for Family Business. Professor Filbeck is the author of the book Derivatives and Risk Management and editor of the book CFAR Basics: The Schweser Study Guide to Getting Started. He has published more than 60 refereed academic journal articles that have appeared in journals such as Financial Analysts Journal, Financial Review, and Journal of Business, Finance, and Accounting.