Editor Reviews:

Product Description:
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.

Rating : - Great Reference & Starter
I purchased the Book of Alternative Assets in order to study for the CAIA Level 1 exam. The book is a great reference and starter to all kinds of alternative assets. It gives the reader a good overall view of the different tools and strategies of alternative investing. It's a fairly qualitative approach and includes diagrams to aid in the delivery of concepts.

The book covers hedge funds, commodities and managed futures, private equity, credit derivatives, and corporate governance.

The hedge fund approach mainly covers the regulatory, risk, and investor perspectives. For example, if you were a foundation or endowment, how would you assess a hedge fund or fund of funds?

The commodities and managed futures, private equity, and credit derivative sections begin with fairly elementary concepts and build from there to allow the reader to feel comfortable enough to talk about them with industry professionals and understand where the market is going with each field.

There are the occasional misspelled words, so it could be edited a little bit better, but it's not too much of a distraction.

Even though it's about 700 pages, it reads quickly. Overall, it's a solid book and an easy read for the CAIA curriculum.