S&P Adds Bond Research Tool to MarketScope Advisor

August 26, 2009 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Standard & Poor's Equity Research Services has added a new bond research portal to its MarketScope Advisor (MSA) platform.

According to a press release, through the use of this new portal, advisers will be able to monitor market summaries on the news and trends driving the bond market, access the latest commentary and ratings news from Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services, and use screening and laddering tools to research and compare approximately 45,000 global bond issuers and more than 200,000 individual bonds, including corporate and municipal offerings and agency bonds, as well as Treasuries. Advisers will also be able to create portfolios using the Bond Ladder Builder, and access calculators as they research various bond issues.

“Financial advisers and wealth managers are responding to recent market conditions by diversifying their clients’ portfolios into multiple asset classes, and bonds are playing an increasingly important role in these efforts,” said Andrea Remyn, a Managing Director at Standard & Poor’s Equity Research Services, in the announcement.

MSA’s research products also include equities, mutual funds, options, and Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs), In addition to research, the MSA platform gives advisers access to analytical tools, including HoldingScan, which provides a detailed look at portfolios and analyzes their contents to show exposure to various asset classes, regions, sectors, and individual holdings. The platform also provides advisers with Alerts and Watchlists.

More information is at http://www.equityresearch.standardandpoors.com .

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