In 2010, S&P Capital IQ introduced five-year long-term gradings, but it said this would provide wealth managers and fund selectors with an additional insight into a fund’s consistency.
Qualifying funds must have remained within the platinum, gold or silver gradings (formerly AAA, AA or A) over the period.
"In terms of common denominators, these funds all have teams that are stable but not static," said Kate Hollis, global head of fixed income fund research at S&P Capital IQ.
The first funds to qualify, from April, for this ten-year grading are:
- Franklin Templeton Investment Funds – Templeton Global Bond Fund (Platinum rating)
- BlackRock Gold & General Fund (Platinum)
- Franklin Templeton Investment Funds – Franklin US Government Fund (Gold)
- Permal European Holdings NV (Gold)
- Invesco Perpetual Fixed Interest Investment Series – Global Bond Fund (Silver)
According to the firm’s global head of equity fund research, Peter Fuller: "Funds that qualify for Long-term Gradings typically display a rigorous and disciplined investment process that allows the funds to outperform peers on a consistent basis even after 10 years of changing market environments."
