UK/EUROPE – The Financial Times group (FT) has launched FT Fund Ratings (FTFR), a new ratings service offering the funds industry comparative information on funds across Europe’s major markets.

FTFR has been produced in conjunction with other financial service industry players, such as Fitzrovia, APT and FT Interactive Data.

The ratings service will focus on three main areas; risk, charges and past performance, as well as providing ratings on more than 17,000 funds. The information will be updated monthly.

The FT says FTFR will help managers highlight the characteristics of their funds, assist advisers in explaining to their clients the differing behaviour of their funds and help fund supermarkets provide a structured framework for the analysis of funds.

Says Christine Farnish, consumer relations director at the Financial Services Authority (FSA): “The FSA actively encourages initiatives that seek to enhance the transparency and accessibility of financial products. We therefore welcome this initiative and shall watch developments with the greatest of interest.”