CAIA Courses in the UK
The Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) course is designed to equip investment professionals with the core skills necessary for them to develop and manage an institutional-quality portfolio containing a combination of traditional and alternative investments. Awarded by the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Association the CAIA career designation demonstrates that the charter holder is well versed in alternative investment markets including private equity, hedge funds, venture capital and real estate investment.
CAIA Qualification Benefits
The benefits of undertaking the CAIA qualification are that it provides a deep understanding of new areas within the Alternative Investment (AI) field and prepares business professionals wanting to add another asset class to their portfolios. CAIA qualified candidates gain exemption from various other professional exams such as the Professional Risk Managers’ International Association (PRMIA) and The UK Actuarial Profession – STO subject.
CAIA Course Structure
Throughout the CAIA qualification curriculum there is an emphasis on ethics and professional codes of conduct and the program concentrates on foundations in Level I with subjects such as due diligence, risk management, and portfolio management covered in Level II.
CAIA Level I
• Professional Standards and Ethics
• Alpha Drivers and Beta Drivers
• Real Estate
• Hedge Funds
• Commodities and Managed Futures
• Private Equity
• Credit Derivatives
Level II
• Professional Standards and Ethics
• Private Equity
• Commodities and Managed Futures
• Real Assets
• Hedge Funds
• Structured Products
• Asset Allocation and Portfolio Management
• Risk and Risk Management
• Manager Selection, Due Diligence, and Regulation
• Research Issues and Current Topics
CAIA Course Requirements
There are no minimum entry requirements for the CAIA program although candidates are assumed to have the relevant basic appreciation of finance and be actively employed within the finance industry.
CAIA Exams
The CAIA exams for level I and level II are 5 hours long and divided into sections as follows:
Nondisclosure agreement – 5 minutes
Tutorial – 5 minutes
Section 1 – Level I and level II have 100 multiple choice questions – 120 minutes
Comment period (optional) – 10 minutes
Break (optional) – 30 minutes
Section 2 – Level I will have 100 multiple choice questions; level II will have 3 sets of constructed-response questions – 120 minutes
Comment period (optional) – 10 minutes
Total – 5 hours
