Fitch joins with Lipper to launch enhanced ratings service

Fitch Ratings has joined up with Lipper to launch a fund rating service which combines Fitch’s qualitative fund analysis with Lipper’s rankings and performance data.

The Fitch Fund Quality Ratings service will provide investors with a more forward-looking assessment of a fund's performance, with a focus on the investment process of funds and the key drivers to its performance.

Fitch said the service will give investors clear and insightful analysis, which will in turn allow them to pick out the best funds from the 35,000-strong universe.

Roger Merritt, managing director and global head of Fitch's fund and asset management ratings group, said established funds will be rated on a six-tier scale from ‘excellent' to ‘inadequate'.

"Globally, investors are looking for objective, forward-looking analysis of funds' investment processes and performance drivers," said Merritt.

"Fund Quality Ratings meets this need by providing a level of transparency and institutional quality analysis that was previously difficult to access."

The ratings will be distributed globally and will be available on Thomson Reuters' wealth platforms.