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Description

Alternative Investments: Understanding Strategies, Analysing Risk and Selecting Funds

Alternative funds are judged less on headline performance than on the nature of the risks they carry

  • 2 days — 14 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Intermediate
  • Up to 6 participants

Alternative strategies are entering institutional allocations without their mechanics always being fully understood. A long/short equity fund and a private debt fund do not carry the same risks and cannot be measured against the same benchmark. Leverage and illiquidity make conventional indicators misleading.

Over two days, the programme sets out the main families of alternative strategies and then the tools used to analyse them. You work on reading fund documentation, on due diligence, and on the place of these strategies within an overall allocation.

Learning objectives

  • Distinguish between the main families of alternative strategies
  • Identify the sources of return and risk specific to each strategy
  • Analyse the legal and financial documentation of an alternative fund
  • Cover the key points of an operational due diligence exercise
  • Position an alternative allocation within an overall portfolio

What makes this programme different

An analytical framework for each strategy family, built during the session
A section-by-section review of an alternative fund prospectus
A simulated due diligence interview with a fund manager

Programme

1Overview of Alternative Strategies

Very different performance drivers

  • Long/short equity strategies
  • Relative value and arbitrage strategies
  • Systematic management and trend following
  • Private markets and private debt

2Specific Risks and Leverage

What performance figures do not show

  • Financial leverage and embedded leverage in derivatives
  • Liquidity risk and redemption windows
  • Counterparty risk and the role of the custodian
  • Limits of conventional risk indicators for these strategies

3Selection and Due Diligence

Assessing the manager as much as the strategy

  • Reading the prospectus and regulatory documentation
  • Legal structure and domiciliation of the vehicle
  • Operational due diligence on processes and valuation
  • Fee structure and performance fees

4Allocation and Monitoring

Embedding alternatives in a portfolio

  • Diversification benefit and correlation with directional markets
  • Sizing the allocation and liability constraints
  • Periodic monitoring and warning signals
  • Reporting expected by governance bodies

Who is it for

Fund selection managers and analysts, heads of allocation, and finance function staff at institutional investors.

Prerequisites

Working knowledge of portfolio management fundamentals and financial instruments.

Dates & locations

36 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.