CQA Fall 2020 | CQA - Chicago Quantitative Alliance | 16 September 2020 | VIRTUAL EVENT

When the group was formed back in 1993, Chicago had the critical mass of interested parties and hosted a wide variety of institutions interested in quantitative research. The intention from the beginning was to bring together top quantitative professionals from around the country and the world. The organization quickly outgrew its Chicago roots and is now international in scope. The majority of the current membership is from the East coast of the U.S., mostly Boston and New York. Currently less than 10% of the membership is from the Chicago area.

The CQA is a non-profit organization formed as a 501(c)(6) under the U.S. tax code. The organization is guided by a Board of Directors who are all volunteers. CQA has no paid employees and exists solely for the benefit of its members and to promote the interests of the quantitative investment community.

The CQA conferences are not intended to make money, sell anything, or debate meaningless theories. The goal is to promote a focused, active discussion of topics of interest to practitioners. The emphasis is on good speakers who have the ability to convey their message in an interesting and insightful way.

The Fall Conference is a two day event held in downtown Chicago in September of each year. A central part of the conference involves an academic competition at which cash prizes are awarded based upon a vote by the members. A call for papers is made early in the year and in July three papers are selected for presentation at the conference. The competition is limited to non-tenured professors and doctoral students.