Tips, tricks, and wisdom for how to make the last week of CFA studying effective.

Most of the CFA curriculum assumes that markets are efficient. In this post we break down the signs of an efficient market as well as some of the challenges to this theory. This post is geared for L1 but can serve as a useful refresher for L3 as well. 

Auctions are used as a mechanism of price discovery and a way to determine the equilibrium price. They have historically been tested with 1-2 questions on the CFA Level 1 exam. 

We use industry analysis to better understand the big picture and a company's relative position within it. Peer groups is one comparable companies approach useful in valuation analysis (and tested in the CFA Level 1 exam).

Not all portfolio return measurements are equal. This post covers the main CFA Level 1 methods/equations for measuring portfolio return.

Everything you need to know about Price Risk vs. Reinvestment Risk in Fixed-income Investing for the CFA Exams.

There are four mistakes you're probably making as a CFA L1 Candidate that will derail your studying.

A review of how the CFA Level 1 exam tests arbitrage and why it matters for pricing futures and forward contracts. 

Within the CFA Level 1 curriculum understanding portfolio risk and return is non-negotiable. And that knowledge starts with understanding the Capital Asset Allocation Line (CAL) and its similarities and differences to the Capital Market Line (CML) and the Securities Market Line (SML).

For the CFA Level 1 exam you need to have a firm grasp on how to calculate both basic and diluted EPS under both simple and complex capital structures. Expect at least a few exam questions: one requiring the use of the Diluted EPS equation, another using the basic EPS calculation, and perhaps others testing your general understanding of dilutive vs. non-dilutive securities.