Is the CFA much more well-known than the Certified International Investment Analyst (CIIA) ? Are they relevant to trading?
CFA is a must for equity analysts,PMs CAIA is becoming a must for Hedge Fund and FOF personnel. CIIA is totally unrecognizable with no future. none of them is really relevant to short term trading.
www.caia.org certified alternative investment analyst here is a discussion on the topic. http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=61590
quote from hedge world describing how SEC is using CAIA, perhaps the biggest sign the designation is going places quickly. "SEC Outlines Hedge Fund Training Initiative for Staff By Susan L. Barreto, Senior Financial Correspondent 5:11:24 PM ET NEW YORK (HedgeWorld.com)âAddressing attendees at the SIA-Hedge Fund Conference, Securities and Exchange Commissioner Roel C. Campos highlighted what the commission hopes to accomplish with registration of hedge fund managers and how the commission staff is training for it. His Sept. 14 comments released by officials this week illustrate how SEC staff people hope to prepare themselves for uncovering fraud in the hedge fund industry come February. The Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations has developed a rigorous training program for the commission's examination staff, Mr. Campos said. At the center of the effort are bimonthly training sessions that will be coupled with a certificate program sponsored by the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Association, which has offered its certification to the hedge fund professionals since late 2002. The bimonthly training sessions will continue over the next eight months and cover the product (structure, objectives, strategies and style, investment tools and financial instruments); the business (portfolio management, risk management and controls concerning credit, leverage and operations, tax-driven behavior, and use of administrators and outside auditors); and trading practices, valuation techniques, distribution activities and communications with investors. The CAIA program itself is a two-level exam system that focuses on five core areas: hedge funds, managed futures, private equity, commodities and real estate. CAIA officials said a thorough review of traditional finance fundaments and professional standards is included in the certification courses. To date, 2,500 candidates from 46 countries have registered for the certification program, with more than 700 organizations sending participants through the CAIA courses."