Old Broad Street Research is recognised as the leading qualitative investment research company in the UK retail funds market.  We specialise in researching, analysing and categorising investment funds.  Our research is highly respected and OBSR Fund Ratings are widely acknowledged as an independent mark of quality.  Integrity and independence are absolutely crucial to our business.  OBSR is privately owned.  We look at all funds, including Multi-Manager, domiciled in the UK and elsewhere in the world to give impartial, whole of market coverage.

We work with many of the best known firms in the Industry offering our services to Independent Financial Advisers, Fund Managers, financial Product Providers and Investment Platforms.  We do not provide research and consultancy services direct to the public.

For more information please contact us.

The mutual funds available for selection in the JP Morgan Telegraph Fantasy Fund Manager game have been selected by OBSR, using their universe of UK domiciled, rated funds.   All funds are rated A, AA or AAA, where A means the fund is a “good fund”, AA means a “very good” fund and AAA means an “exceptional fund”.  Because a fund is rated it does not necessarily follow that the fund is suitable for all investors.  Individual investor circumstances must be considered before making a decision to invest.  Professional advice should be sought to determine fund suitability to individual investor circumstances.

The ratings are an indication of OBSR’s conviction in a fund based on our research and knowledge of the fund.  OBSR’s views are long term in nature (5 years).  The ratings should not be relied upon as an indication of how a fund might perform over a shorter period.

In addition to the OBSR Fund Ratings each fund carries a risk classification.  This classification is designed to assist players to refine their fund choices.  To provide choice within each fund category a Risk Classification low, mid or high is allocated to each fund and represents the relative risk it carries within its sector.

• In the case of equity funds, the higher the risk score, the more likely the fund will deviate from major equity market indices. Medium and higher risk scores will for instance feature funds that have a more specialist mandate, for instance recovery funds, special situations funds and funds which invest in specific types of companies or in specific universes. For the latter reason, all funds in the specialist equity sub-sector have been given a high risk score.
• In the fixed income portion, gilt funds are considered as low risk. Corporate bonds funds have been given a mid risk score, and high yield bond funds a high risk score as they are perceived to be riskier. Strategic bond funds have been given risk scores of mid or high depending on the nature of the mandates.
• Absolute return funds have been allocated a low risk score given that they are designed to generate positive absolute returns with less volatility in their returns than other funds.