2009 August Media Highlights

 

A sampling of news coverage with links as available

30 August 2009
New-Leader.com
Academic Awards & Achievers
Excerpt: Dr. Jeffrey Jones, Drury University assistant professor of finance, has completed the requirements to be granted the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. Jones completed his Level III exam in June and was recently granted membership into the CFA Society of St. Louis. He will officially be awarded the charter this fall.

30 August 2009
Wall Street Journal
Winning Over Skeptics at UBS Venture in Korea
Excerpt: In its first year of operation, UBS Hana installed investment tools used by UBS elsewhere and became the first asset-management firm in Korea to achieve compliance with GIPS, the global investment performance standards set by the CFA Institute. As of end-July, UBS Hana managed 20.1 trillion won ($16.2 billion) of invested assets.

28 August 2009
Business First
Fisher College Ties Curriculum to Gold-Standard Designation Program
Excerpt: Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business has partnered with the Chartered Financial Analysts Society to ensure its department of finance curriculum covers a major portion of the CFA Program Candidate Body of Knowledge. It’s expected to be a big deal for Fisher finance students, giving them a leg up on studying for the CFA Charter, the investment and finance industry’s gold standard designation. It is pretty much mandatory for anyone interested in a career in portfolio management, investment research, investment banking or advisory services.

25 August 2009
Compliance Week
The Hidden Investor: When ETFs Attack
Excerpt: “Particularly to the extent that some ETFs follow the advice of influential proxy advisory firms such as RiskMetrics and Glass Lewis, they do have an influence on governance.” − Sam Jones, Member, CFA Institute Board of Governors.

24 August 2009
Pensions & Investments
When Governance Failed
Excerpt: Rodney N. Sullivan is head of publications and editor of the Financial Analysts Journal, published by CFA Institute, Charlottesville, VA.

24 August 2009
perfex.blogspot.com
Code of Ethics: Goldman Sachs Trading Tips Reward Big Clients − WSJ.com
Excerpt: As someone who has been involved with the professional designations available from the CFA Institute for the past seven years or so, I can't help thinking about the ethical codes those granted the right to use the designations must abide by. What the WSJ article describes sounds like front running, which would violate said code. I am curious how the CFA Institute views Goldman Sachs practice as described in the front page article.

23 August 2009
Winnipeg Free Press
Penny Wise
Excerpt: CFA (chartered financial analyst): A professional designation given by the CFA Institute that demonstrates a level of competence and integrity for financial analysts. CFAs must pass three levels of exams covering areas such as accounting, economics, ethics, money management and security analysis. Before becoming a CFA, candidates must have at least three years of investment and financial experience and have a bachelor's degree.

21 August 2009
The Times (UK)
The Grueling Test of Finance Professionals
Excerpt: Not the A-level results, published yesterday to the usual tiresome date on dumbing-down, but the exams of the CFA Institute, which, to those who pass, convey the rare and prestigious title of Chartered Financial Analyst.

20 August 2009
DetroitNews.com
People on the Move
Excerpt: The Chartered Financial Analyst Society of Detroit elected Kevin Yousif as president.

20 August 2009
Globe & Mail
When You’re Drowning in Knowledge, It’s Experience That Counts
Excerpt: Similarly, some students aspiring to work in the investment industry are juggling their MBA courses while studying for the Chartered Financial Analyst designation, an intensive three-year program considered among the most rigorous in any industry. They're doing this not only to have an edge in landing a job, but also to accelerate the path to being able to manage money. (Traditionally, people embarked on the CFA program after they started working.) So these graduating MBA students are certainly rich in knowledge, but not necessarily in insight.

19 August 2009
Money Marketing
Less Than Half Pass CFA Institute Exams in June
Excerpt: CFA Institute president and chief executive John Rogers says, “We are encouraged by the number of investment professionals who have committed themselves to this rigorous program. We believe that financial education and professional ethics training, which are at the heart of the CFA program, are cornerstones of future financial market stability. It is gratifying to see this strong level of demand for the CFA charter.”

19 August 2009
Fonds Professionell Online (Germany)
Lucrative Education: 104,111 CFA Candidates Worldwide
Excerpt: CFA Institute announced that 45 percent of 104,111 current and aspiring investment professionals worldwide passed the June 2009 CFA exams, bringing them one step closer to earning the distinguished CFA charter. 9,597 candidates passed the Level III exam. In Germany 1,427 candidates attend the exam. The 2009 exams were given at 256 test centers in 182 cities worldwide.

19 August 2009
Cash-Online.de
CFA Program Registers a High Demand
Excerpt: Since the beginning of the CFA program in 1963, one million exams were passed. Those, who will become CFA charterholders this year, will bring the number of charterholders worldwide to nearly 90,000.

19 August 2009
New York Times
An Education in Risk Management Can Offer a Leg Up
Excerpt: While recruiters agree that securing a chartered financial analyst designation or an M.B.A. can never hurt, knowing which other certifications and what kind of continuing education to pursue can be tricky.

19 August 2009
New York Times
Certifications for the Evolving Age of Finance
Excerpt: Holders of certain designations like chartered financial analyst don’t need all four exams.

18 August 2009
Investment Executive (Canada)
June Exam Numbers Show Growing Demand for CFA Designation
Excerpt: In the wake of a more challenging economic environment than in previous years, the institute observed a greater sense of candidate preparedness and seriousness, according to Tom Robinson, managing director of education at CFA Institute. “In a tight job market, having the CFA charter is a significant distinguishing factor, and we saw much lower no-show rates for Level I of the exam, which indicates how serious candidates are about their careers,” Robinson said.

18 August 2009
associatedcontent.com
More People Failed Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Top Exam in 2009
Excerpt: The exams are intended to be extremely rigorous and difficult to pass. The low passing rates do not mean candidates lack the ability to serve clients. These are the most challenging exams given in the financial industry. Of course percent 2C pass rates are low but the majority of candidates are more dedicated than others who take much easier licensing exams that have high pass rates and require a few weeks of studying. I would rather have a candidate who has failed the CFA exam but has studied all of the important concepts manage my money than someone who only has a Series 6 or 7 license.

18 August 2009
Bloomberg
CFA Level III Exam Pass Rate Drops to 49 Percent from 53 Percent Last Year
Excerpt: A lower percentage of Wall Street job applicants passed the third and final test to become Chartered Financial Analysts, a designation that offers an edge during Wall Street’s worst shakeout in at least three decades.

17 August 2009
Globe & Mail
Portfolio Facelift
Excerpt: Facelift asked Nigel Roberts, a chartered financial analyst and head of Bluenose Investment Management Inc. of Oyama, B.C., to work with Max and Jocelyn to focus and rebalance their portfolio.

15 August 2009
The Business Times (Singapore)
A Key Life Skill That Schools Don’t Teach
Excerpt: Yes, I did. My studies in Business Administration and Applied Finance and the CFA program did equip me with some of the principles of investment analysis.

14 August 2009
AsianInvestor
Ng Yong Yin to Head Citi’s Malaysia Research
Excerpt: Ng, who is in his early 30s, is a chartered financial analyst and holds a bachelor of business degree in accounting and finance from Edith Cowan University in Perth, Australia.

12 August 2009
Reuters.com
Catching the Last Plane Out
Excerpt: Keeping this in mind, John Rubino’s recent cover story in CFA Magazine remains highly relevant. How do you protect your assets if the financial system collapses? 

11 August 2009
popdose.com
Numberscruncher: Public Choice
Excerpt: Now, of course, we the people have weird issues that will get our dander up. For some, it’s broad things like health insurance reform, but they can also be tiny. Like here’s one: I’m a member of the CFA Institute, and the organization has lobbied hard so that members can be excused from different licensing requirements. To people in the investment business, it’s a huge incentive to taking the CFA exam and paying membership dues.

11 August 2009
CNN Money
China Information Security Technology Announces New Chief Financial Officer
Excerpt: A Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Ms. Kazmerzak serves as a Strategic Advisor to CFA China. She received her bachelor’s degree in economics from Shanghai International Studies University and obtained her MBA with a concentration in finance from Arizona State University.

10 August 2009
The Wall Street Journal (Europe)
U.K. Official Seeks Rethink of Shareholder Voting Laws
Excerpt: Lord Myners isn't the first to propose the idea. The Financial Analysts Journal, a peer-reviewed magazine published by the U.S. based, international Chartered Financial Analysts Institute, carried an article in 2006 outlining a proxy exchange that would facilitate mutual-fund investors transferring their voting rights to a charity or other party.

10 August 2009
contrarianprofits.com
Don’t Bet on Canada’s Banks
Excerpt: Dan Amoss, CFA, is managing editor for Strategic Investment and a contributing editor for Whiskey and Gunpowder. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst and joined Agora Financial from Investment Counselors of Maryland, investment advisors for one of the top small-cap value mutual funds. Dan combines his institutional background with a drive to seek out the most attractive investments within big picture trends.

8 August 2009
afr.com (Australia)
Spirits High but Reality to Intervene
Excerpt: In the past week he [Roubini] was in Australia, giving the miners at Diggers and Dealers in Kalgoorlie his view on booming commodity prices before talking to some of the leading investment people in Melbourne and Sydney at dinners run by the local CFA Institutes. His message: we are not out of the woods just yet.

8 August 2009
News Today (India)
LIBA Inks Pact with Singapore Institute
Excerpt: Successful completion of the diploma course would render the students competent to appear in the Level-1 exam of the CFA. USA program, similarly, the advanced diploma would render the candidate competent to appear in the Level 2 and Level 3 exams of the CFA, USA program.

8 August 2009
examiner.com
Types of Financial Advisors and Their Designations
Excerpt: CFA − Chartered Financial Analyst focused on the principles and practice of investments, usually held by portfolio managers.

8 August 2009
Australian Financial Review
Spirits High but Reality to Intervene
Excerpt: New York economics professor and financial guru Nouriel Roubini told leading investors at CFA institute dinners in Sydney and Melbourne and at Diggers and Dealers in Kalgoorlie over the past week that there's still risk around the markets and he's keeping an eye out for weakness in the next few months.

7 August 2009
myiris.com (India)
Tata MF to Employ Funds in Foreign/Overseas Securities
Excerpt: For managing investment in foreign securities Dinesh Da Costa has been appointed as dedicated fund manager, he has 8 years of experience and his academic qualifications are B.Com, CFA and MBA (Finance).

7 August 2009
Hindustan Times
Open to Analysis
Excerpt: Hong Kong-based Ashvin Vibhakar, MD, Asia Pacific region, CFA Institute, says, “I do see an increasing number of job postings that specify ‘CFA charter-holder or CFA candidate’ either ‘required’ or ‘preferred’.” CFAs work for investment companies/mutual funds; as private client wealth managers; hedge funds; pensions and foundations; and for academic organizations, consultancies or research firms.

7 August 2009
The Australian Financial Review
Moss’ Debate Still Worth Having
Excerpt: A few bankers who took tables at a Chartered Financial Analyst lunch in Sydney yesterday – Moss among them – were squirming in their seats as Roubini, aka Dr. Doom, urged more conservative incentives for banker pay.

7 August 2009
The Australian Financial Review
Doomsayer Warns Pullback on the Way
Excerpt: Dr. Roubini warned investors at a Chartered Financial Analyst forum in Sydney yesterday that the recent hard run in equity markets has far outpaced the recovery in earnings and revenue.

7 August 2009
bombaynews.net (India)
Kerala Origin Priest Helps Set Up U.S. Consulates
Excerpt: “Then I [Kurien] finished  my MBA in finance and completed the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) course.” 

7 August 2009
Cleveland Ohio Business News
How to Balance Your Portfolio for the Long Term: Ask the Expert
Excerpt: Work with members of a talented, ethical team who care about your success as much as you do and who have credentials such as a certified financial planner, chartered financial analyst and certified public accountant.

6 August 2009
Telegraph (India)
CFA Centre
Excerpt: The CFA Institute, a Charlottesville, Virginia based global association of investment professionals, has announced that the Delhi High Court has granted permission for it to conduct the December 2009 CFA Level I exam in India.

6 August 2009
Globe & Mail
Leading Mutual Fund Myths
Excerpt: Mr. Hallett has spent more than a dozen years doing research on investment funds, portfolio managers and financial markets. He holds the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designations, and is president of Dan Hallett and Associates Inc., a Windsor Ontario-based independent investment research firm and licensed investment counselor.

5 August 2009
businessspectator.com (Australia)
Dinner with Dr. Doom
Excerpt: Last night I sat next to Professor Nouriel Roubini at a CFA Society dinner in Melbourne, at which he explained why he’s still pessimistic.

4 August 2009
Kolkata Mirror
CFA Exams Now in India
Excerpt: “We are delighted with the permission saving thousands of candidates time and money in travel and accommodation to other countries. We appreciate the decision given in the interest of the candidates and will remain dedicated to the Indian investment industry and educational field,” said Dr Ashvin P Vibhakar, CFA, managing director, Asia-Pacific Operations, CFA Institute.

4 August 2009
nationalmortgageprofessional.com
Appraisal Institute Supports Proposal to Require More Frequent Valuations of Investments
Excerpt: The GIPS standards were created and are administered by CFA Institute, the global, not-for-profit association of investment professionals that awards the Chartered Financial Analyst and Certificate in Investment Performance Measurement designations.

3 August 2009
hellokolkata.net
CFA Institute Granted Permission to Conduct December 2009 CFA Exam in India
Excerpt: CFA Institute announces that the Delhi High Court has granted permission for it to conduct the December 2009 CFA Level I exam in India. CFA Institute has opened a test center in Mumbai where candidates from across the country can now take the exam.

2 August 2009
FTfm
Finance Briefing: The Crisis Is One of Governance
Excerpt: A troublesome result of the financial crisis has been a serious breakdown in trust between society at large and capital market agents. In the latest of a monthly series, Rodney Sullivan discusses opportunities for serious investment professionals to position themselves and their companies as true governance leaders. Rodney Sullivan, CFA, is head of publications at CFA Institute.

1 August 2009
MBAUnivers.com (India)
Are You a Wiz-Kid! AIMA to Hold Management Games to Test Business Skills of MBAs
Excerpt: “Here the students get the opportunity to augment management methodologies, tools and techniques learnt at their business schools,” an official from AIMA said and added, “Business school students of MBA, PGDM, MBE, MCA, CFA and equivalent professional programs can participate in the event whose prelim rounds would be held in Kolkata, Indore, Pune, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Coimbatore.”

1 August 2009
Bahrain Tribune
CFA Boom: Over 6,000 Take Exams This Year
Excerpt: CFA Institute, a global body of investment professionals, said this year’s turnover represents a 26 percent increase from last year. “During this time of great uncertainty in financial markets, it is critical that the global investment profession upholds what all CFA charter holders hold true: ethics, rigor, tenacity, and analytics,” said John Rogers, CFA, president and CEO of CFA Institute.

1 August 2009
FinanceProfessor.com
Does Microlending Really Help the Poor?
Excerpt: It's CFA Level 1 Results Day! − Results for the CFA level 1 exam came out today. According to the CFA Institute, there was a 46 percent pass rate − the highest in years.