Fund buyers can also get outside help with their assessments of companies and funds through the use of external ratings agencies. Rathbone's Elliott describes ratings provided by external providers as “a useful tool” but they should not be the only consideration.
Andrzej Pioch, multi-asset investor at Legal & General Investment Management, says at present the ratings produced by different agencies about the same asset diverge so drastically that it is difficult to rely on external ratings as part of a process.
David Thorpe is special projects editor at FTAdviser