Mutual funds from around the world

Old Broad Street Research Limited (OBSR), the UK based independent investment funds research company, has launched an international fund ratings service providing wealth managers, international life companies, investment platforms and professional advisers access to truly independent mutual fund research.

OBSR is recognised as the leading qualitative investment research company in the UK retail funds market, incorporating OEIC, Unit Trusts and Multi-Manager funds. The global service draws on the expertise developed by OBSR since its UK launch in 1999. OBSR Fund Ratings are widely acknowledged as an independent mark of quality.

The service supports businesses whose clients are seeking the best internationally available, regulated mutual funds from around the world. It focuses on identifying, researching and rating mutual funds across a range of asset classes managed by the top fund managers irrespective of their location.

OBSR is launching the international business following its acquisition of the offshore research business, Crosby Forsyth Research, in late 2008.

Richard Romer-Lee, Research Director, OBSR says: “OBSR Fund Ratings are a mark of quality and hard earned, and this will hold as true for internationally based funds as for UK funds. We maintain our rigorous independence by not charging fund managers to research their funds. Our research team is unrivalled in terms of knowledge and expertise which enables us to seek out the best fund managers globally then filter the market with our investment criteria to create the meaningful qualitative research for which OBSR is renowned.”

Each year OBSR conducts over 2,000 one-to-one meetings with fund managers and undertakes quarterly assessment of rated funds, ensuring that they are delivering their objectives. OBSR has a large and highly experienced team, consisting of 15 dedicated analysts.

Jasper Berens, Managing Director, Head of UK Retail, JPMorgan Asset Management says: “We believe that OBSR produces some of the best research in the UK retail funds market and are eagerly anticipating OBSR bringing its high quality research and integrity to the International Fund Ratings arena.”