Morningstar Launches Morningstar DirectSM Alternative Investment Edition

Date: Thursday, April 10, 2008
Author: Morningstar.com

CHICAGO, April 9, 2008—Morningstar, Inc., (NASDAQ: MORN), a leading provider of independent investment research, today announced that it has launched Morningstar DirectSM Alternative Investment Edition, a global, multi-currency institutional research platform that provides in-depth performance analysis of approximately 8,700 hedge funds, funds of hedge funds, and Commodity Trading Advisor products.

The Web-based platform enables clients such as fund of fund managers, fund managers, family offices, and institutional investors to conduct rigorous alternative investment research by combining robust, timely data with advanced analytics and reporting tools.

Direct AIE includes nearly 300 data points for each hedge fund, 29,000 global indexes (including 251 hedge fund indexes), monthly performance data, assets under management, and Morningstar proprietary hedge fund ratings, indexes, and categories. Subscribers can customize their research by changing benchmarks, time periods, risk-free rates, and currencies for risk/return calculations. Strategy classification breakdown, geographic exposure, industry exposure, fees and liquidity terms, and asset class exposure help users gain insights into investment performance and risk.

“Our qualitative and quantitative tools for researching alternative investments include an advanced search and screening capability, information about portfolio managers, and insight into investment methodologies,” said Liz Kirscher, president of Morningstar’s data services business. “Our clients now have the comprehensive data and flexible research tools they need to perform competitive analysis, product development, due diligence, performance evaluation, and other crucial processes.”

Users can export presentation-ready graphs and data into Microsoft® PowerPoint® or PDF files, or Microsoft® Excel® for additional analysis.

About Morningstar, Inc.
Morningstar, Inc. is a leading provider of independent investment research in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. The company offers an extensive line of Internet, software, and print-based products and services for individuals, financial advisors, and institutions. Morningstar provides data on more than 265,000 investment offerings, including stocks, mutual funds, and similar vehicles. The company has operations in 18 countries and minority ownership positions in companies based in three other countries.