Waters Rankings 2016: Best Data Analytics Provider — FactSet

FactSet is the third different winner of this category since its inception in 2014, with S&P Capital IQ and S3 Partners winning in 2014 and 2015, respectively. The variety of winners in the category shows the competitiveness of a space that is full of strong providers. 

Ali Stewart, vice president of analytics at FactSet, says the base of the firm’s offering is its Portfolio Analysis (PA), a multi-asset class, global solution that helps investment professionals discover alpha quicker. PA is an interactive tool that allows users to transform their data and analytics into intelligence through a flexible, multi-tile interface of reports and charts, Stewart says. The firm also has a full suite of analytics products, according to Stewart, including portfolio optimization, back-testing, return analysis and publishing solutions.

“Investors want the ability to focus on analytics. But to get analytics right, you have to get the right data integrated into the system, you have to get the right scale, and the right quality assurance around that information,” Stewart says. “FactSet’s solution solves for this—integrating multi-asset class analytics, performance and risk. The flexibility and ability to customize the analytics and reports to an individual portfolio, investment strategy, or users’ needs really sets FactSet apart.” 

Stewart says the next 12 months will see FactSet investing in mobile services, expanding and enhancing multi-asset class solutions, and improving coverage, quality and depth of analytics for new and existing derivatives.

“It’s no longer just an equity market or a fixed-income market—it’s a true global multi-asset class market. You have to look outside of all the boundaries of traditional investments to find returns. In order to do that, you need the right investment and analysis tools,” Stewart says. “As a result, FactSet has developed one of the most complete global asset coverage and analytics platforms on the market.”

“Investors want the ability to focus on analytics. But to get analytics right, you have to get the right data integrated into the system, you have to get the right scale, and the right quality assurance around that information. FactSet’s solution solves for this—integrating multi-asset class analytics, performance and risk.” Ali Stewart, FactSet