Guest article written for AllAboutAlpha.com – the official publication of the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) Association Originally posted at: http://allaboutalpha.com/blog/2012/12/13/a-look-at-global-financial-regulation/ The fundamental principle of free market economies is that supply and demand (rather than governments) determine market prices, actions and outcomes. In an emotion-free and ethical world, this principle…
Guest article written for AllAboutAlpha.com – the official publication of the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) Association Originally posted at: http://allaboutalpha.com/blog/2012/12/04/alpha-hunter-investing-in-travel/ Investing in real estate, stock and shares, and up and coming companies are well known lucrative investment options, and there is plenty of advice available on how to do…
Guest article written for AllAboutAlpha.com – the official publication of the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) Association Originally posted at: http://allaboutalpha.com/blog/2012/11/27/a-look-at-the-dubai-mercantile-exchange-with-christopher-fix/ The world’s future exchanges have always been built around the needs of trade-cycles. The gamut of participants in any commodity not only require clear and standardised pricing, but also need…
In these exclusive interviews, we speak to two of the world’s leading experts on torture. Keith Carmichael(Founder of REDRESS, an organisation that seeks justice and reparation for torture survivors) and Prof Juan Méndez (the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment) – both torture survivors. We look at the true scale of torture globally, exploring why and how it happens, the effect it leaves on survivors, its impact on communities, and how individuals can find justice. We also explore whether we will ever see a world free from torture.
Guest article written for AllAboutAlpha.com – the official publication of the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) Association Originally posted at: http://allaboutalpha.com/blog/2012/11/08/andrew-lo-on-the-libor-scandal-and-whats-next/ Finance is a world where your input, output, and value-add are the same, money… and after a while in the markets, everything becomes just-a-number. Traders may start their careers excited…
Guest article written for AllAboutAlpha.com – the official publication of the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) Association Originally posted at: http://allaboutalpha.com/blog/2012/09/24/the-future-of-the-uk-economy The United Kingdom is a tiny island, with an astonishing economy. This is the nation credited with building the largest empire history has ever known, and which played a…
In these exclusive interviews, we speak to Claudia Schiffer (a globally renowned model, icon andbusinesswoman), Robin Givhan (Pulitzer Prize winning fashion writer and former special correspondent for Newsweek/Daily Beast) and Dov Charney (CEO and Founder of American Apparel). We discuss the very fundamental questions of ‘what’ fashion is, and how it has become such an important part of human culture and identity. Digging deeper, we also look at issues ranging from brand, to sexuality and even the business of fashion itself.
Guest article written for AllAboutAlpha.com – the official publication of the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) Association Originally posted at: http://allaboutalpha.com/blog/2012/08/26/alpha-hunter-jeff-joseph-on-taking-funds-to-market/ The financial crisis has changed the landscape for any industry wishing to attract and retain investors. By the end of 2009, most investment managers were- essentially- in survival mode,…
Guest article written for AllAboutAlpha.com – the official publication of the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) Association Originally posted at: http://allaboutalpha.com/blog/2012/08/20/alpha-hunter-james-clayton-on-investing-in-media-and-entertainment/ “…Over the next five years, global spending on entertainment and media is projected to rise from $1.6 trillion in 2011 to $2.1 trillion in 2016, a 5.7 percent compound…
In this exclusive series of interviews, we speak to Ertharin Cousin (Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme), Prof. Jeffrey Sachs (Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University) and Carlos Pérez del Castillo (Chair of the Board of the CGIAR Consortium). We look at the true scale and nature of global hunger, exploring issues ranging from poverty to climate change, conflict to politics, economics to education and more. We discuss the realities of hunger in our world and how we can end it.
Guest article written for AllAboutAlpha.com – the official publication of the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) Association Originally posted at: http://allaboutalpha.com/blog/2012/08/15/the-greek-opportunity/ “Of all the economic horror stories produced since the banking crisis…” wrote the Guardian in July 2011, “Greece must be the most frightening. It has easily the worst economy out…
Guest article written for AllAboutAlpha.com – the official publication of the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) Association Originally posted at: http://allaboutalpha.com/blog/2012/08/05/the-sub-prime-lesson/ It’s difficult to downplay the severity of the sub-prime mortgage crisis. Between June 2007 and the end of summer in 2008- American’s lost over a quarter of their net-worth. Home…
An Interview with Charlie Duke, the 10th Man to walk on the Moon. Imagine an ant, happily scuttling around an ant-farm on your desk. Were you able to speak to the ant, and explain that his ant-farm was on a desk, in an office or a home, on a street,…
Guest article written for AllAboutAlpha.com – the official publication of the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) Association Originally posted at: http://allaboutalpha.com/blog/2012/06/24/michael-spence-nobel-laureate-on-information-and-momentum/ Analysis of any economic and financial system requires an understanding of two key factors; information and momentum. Understanding the information content of a system means having knowledge relating to…
Guest article written for AllAboutAlpha.com – the official publication of the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) Association Originally posted at: http://allaboutalpha.com/blog/2012/06/18/alpha-hunters-investing-in-urban-communities/ In 1800 only 2% of the world population (which was just 970 million in total) was urbanised. By 1950 that figure had grown to 30%, and by 2030 it…
In this exclusive series of interviews, we speak to Martha Thorne (Executive Director of the Pritzker Prize), Richard Rogers (architect of the Pompidou Centre in Paris, the Lloyds building and Millennium Dome in London and founder of Rogers, Stirk, Harbour + Partners) and Mohsen Mostafavi (Dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Design and the Alexander and Victoria Wiley Professor of Design). We discuss the very nature of architecture itself, how it relates to culture and topics ranging from the nature of cities, how buildings influence our lives and the future of architecture itself
Guest article written for AllAboutAlpha.com – the official publication of the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) Association Originally posted at: http://allaboutalpha.com/blog/2012/06/07/alpha-hunters-looking-at-alternative-investments-from-the-inside-out/ While referred to as “alternative investments“, hedge funds, private equity, commodities, structured products and other real assets account for a significant proportion of global investment and trade activity. One…
In this exclusive interview, we speak to Raymond Baker (Director of the Task Force on Financial Integrity and Economic Development). We discuss the true scale of the global illicit economy and understand how issues such as government theft, drug trafficking, global wealth, money laundering and the shadow financial system contribute to some of our most intractable issues ranging from poverty to hunger, terrorism and even economic crises.
Guest article written for AllAboutAlpha.com – the official publication of the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) Association Originally posted at: http://allaboutalpha.com/blog/2012/05/31/the-secrets-of-the-worlds-greatest-traders/ Traders and investors have made (and lost) some of the world’s most significant pools of wealth. It’s no coincidence that many of the wealthiest individuals in the world today…
An Interview with Chris Guillebeau, author of the $100 Entrepreneur As the FT reported in January 2012, “…in the United States and other developed markets, SMEs commonly account for half or more of gross domestic product…. A recent study from the European Commission indicates that SMEs generated 85 per cent…