New and free fund information hub, FundsLibrary, has gained over 3,000 professional users within 12 months. Stuart Louden, managing director, explains the unique features of the service
Why FundsLibrary was established
FundsLibrary (FL) was established to make high-quality fund information easily available to investment professionals. Our simple view and continuing mission is "the creation of a central data hub, supported by all fund groups, where professional users can source all fund data requirements free of charge".
What information we bring onto the hub
With the essential support of the industry's fund groups, FundsLibrary now offers massive detail on over 3,000 managed funds. In particular we provide:
lPortfolio analysis: Detailed and standardised analysis
lFund Background Data: Including Charges/Aims/Benchmarks/Risks.
lGroup PDFs: Factsheets/Report & Accounts/Simplified Prospectus
lResearch Reports: All S&P research reports now available
lPerformance Analysis: Including Interactive Charting and Ranking
How we present the data on our website
The vast quantity of raw data we collect each month is made available on our website via a series of user-friendly tools.
1. FundCentral
Our FundCentral section provides a gateway to all of our data and documents. Instant access is provided to Fund Factsheets/Report and Accounts/Simplified Prospectus/Unique FL interactive factsheets/S&P research documents.
FundCentral Screenshots
2. FundsLibrary interactive Factsheets
The wealth of data we gather monthly is presented in a logical and standardised manner on the interactive fund factsheets. These leading-edge factsheets can provide anything from a simple fund overview through to detailed portfolio 'drill down' functionality. Quite simply there is more portfolio detail here than you will find anywhere else in the market.
3. Fund Comparison Tool
The Fund Comparison tool presents information on multiple funds side-by-side, making detailed comparison simple. Users select the funds to be compared and receive genuine like-for-like data providing an unrivalled depth of analysis.
Fund Comparison Screenshot
4. First Views
The FirstViews service brings together a wealth of investment market commentary produced by the industry's leading minds. Moreover the service allows users to quickly find documents relating to 13 key asset classes. Keeping abreast of essential global investment market developments and views has never been easier.
Examples of service we now offer:
Services to IFAs
In addition to the core website, FundsLibrary recognises that IFAs increasingly need data in their own hands, thus can provide:
lData for research: Custom made Datafeeds
lData for publication: Online fund information tools
Live Example:
Cathedral is a rapidly growing financial adviser, and sought a way of adding key fund content onto their website. FundsLibrary created a simple 'plug and play' service providing Cathedral customers with instant access to key PDF documents for the CFM panel list of recommended funds.
Services to Multi-managers & investment researchers
Many investment managers need raw data in their own hands. FundsLibrary therefore provides truly tailor made datafeeds. As all portfolio outputs are created from full portfolio lists, FundsLibrary can assure users of high quality and genuinely standardised data.
Live Example:
The award-winning multi-manager team at Hargreaves Lansdown are the 3rd largest in the UK, managing just over £1bn in fund of fund portfolios. Their own quantitative screening process requires the input of 'full portfolio lists'. Although this data was available to them, its collection and reformatting was a significant ongoing resource cost. FundsLibrary provided a simple solution, delivering all required monthly portfolio lists in a standardised format.
Services to Fund Management Groups
The core service to fund groups is based on two central aims:
lStreamlining the delivery of data and documents to professional users
lProviding vital management information feedback on usage.
The core services are used by all leading fund groups including Invesco Perpetual, Schroder and New Star. In addition to the core proposition, there are now a number of additional services available, including:
lFactsheet creation
lRFI data delivery (tailor made data delivery to key customers)
lPeer Group analysis
Live Example:
Ecclesiastical Insurance's investment arm, Allchurches Investment, is typical of a small growing fund management house. With five Oeics, there was a substantial resource cost to ensure the accurate and timely creation of monthly PDF factsheets. The factsheet service allows Allchurches to deliver raw data, with all subsequent data derivation and PDF creation handled by FundsLibrary. Moreover the factsheets are available within 48 hours of the receipt of the raw data, providing prompt updates for Allchurches investors.
Service to Fund Supermarkets and Wrap
FundsLibrary was originally created to provide extensive data and document services to fund supermarkets. Our intimate knowledge of this market has led to major users utilising the data and document services. FundsLibrary provides everything from the simplest raw data feed through to branded interactive factsheets, x-ray portfolio analysis, and various 'plug & play' tools to bring fantastic content to any web offering.
Live Example:
Fidelity FundsNetwork understood that their extensive professional customer base required access to key PDF documents produced by fund groups. By using the FundsLibrary 'hosted document service' FundsNetwork were able to offer their customers instant access to thousands of bang up to date documents. This sevice now delivers over half a million documents to FundsNetwork customers each year.
Contacts
Stuart Louden, managing director
Tel: 0117 988 9894
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.fundslibrary.co.uk
