Trustnet, a Financial Express website, has launched Alpha Manager Ratings as part of a wider analysis of fund managers’ career performance. This focuses the achievements of the mangers themselves across all funds they have managed regardless of employer.

Mike Jones, Publishing Director at Financial Express says: “The Alpha Manager rating is different from others in looking at a much longer career span. It is important to see how the mangers have performed in both bull and bear markets and the longer time period allows you to show this”

All managers have a profile page that sits alongside their fund fact sheets to give the adviser a deeper insight into the fund, the manager and the group they work for. A further feature is that only the top 10% of all managers will be awarded Trustnet Alpha Manager status; you are either a Trustnet Alpha manager or you are not, there is no grey area. In addition the accolade will last for one year – no new ones can be awarded, no current ones taken away, for the full twelve months.

Summary of content found on manager profile pages;

• A list of the funds the manager currently manages, and whether this is a sole or joint responsibility
• A list of the funds the manager has managed in the past going back to January 1st 2000
• Discrete alpha performance
• Discrete annual percentage performance over the history of the manager
• Performance against peers over time in both bull and bear markets
• Discrete and total return over the managers history
• Financial Express manager verdict
• How the manger has performed against his peers in both rising and falling markets

The fact that Trustnet are able to utilise Financial Express proprietary data has allowed them to be comprehensive and analytical in the way they evaluate the managers and the time span that can be looked at.

Questioned on the methodology for Alpha Manager Ratings, Mike Jones says: “We have tested the methodology with advisory groups and fund managers and we have definitely found an intelligent way to help the adviser look at the actual long term performance. That is the key, especially in the tougher market environment we find ourselves in. And the longer time period means a short-term volatility does not affect the managers career performance as much as a shorter time span would.

He continues: “Trustnet Alpha Manager Ratings will enable clients and advisers alike to make better fund selections on the basis of not only who does well in a bull market, but who also does well in a bear market. Consistent and long-term alpha performance is the mark of a truly great manager, and the proprietary methodology enables this comparison to be done in a really powerful and effective way.”

Alpha manager is the first of new suite of products that ‘go live’ over the next month on Trustnet.