First published in Investment Week, 30 September 2016

With the majority of selectors recommending the same 20% of funds, FE's Mika-John Southworth explores why 'big brand' funds continue to be favoured despite performance issues.

FE Analytics has won the award for the ‘Leading Independent Planning Tool Provider’ at the Schroders’ UK Platform Awards – marking this the sixth time the planning tool has won the award since 2010.

On 14 September the European Parliament, as expected, followed the lead of its Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee (Econ) by voting 602 to 4 to reject the Level 2 rules as set out in the Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) proposed by the Commission.

Liontrust, Brooks Macdonald and Standard Life Wealth are now live on FE Analytic’s Model Portfolio Comparison Service – FE Transmission, the service that allows advisers to compare performance data on leading model portfolios.

North American growth funds have been added for the first time to the FE Invest Approved list, as funds in the region are viewed more favourably for UK investors in light of concerns over UK equities as an asset class - following the Brexit vote.

FE Kii Hub has been awarded the accolade of Most Outstanding European UCITS KIIDs Platform in the Corporate LiveWire Global Fund Awards 2016.

FE’s latest bi-annual Crown ratings rebalance awarded 325 funds with the highly prized five FE Crowns – with 45 funds jumping more than two Crowns to achieve the top accolade.

Hong Kong-based China and Emerging Markets specialist, Luke NG from FE Research runs through the key issues surrounding MSCI’s rejection of China’s A-Share market.

Advisers have been opting for the perceived safety of cash funds over big-name brands in the weeks leading up to the EU referendum date, according to the latest data from FE’s Market Intel (MI) tool -  underlining the risk-off sentiment gripping the UK’s advisory industry compared to the mood at the start of the year.

First they said it couldn’t possibly happen, then that it probably wouldn’t happen, then that it might happen and until finally today it did happen. Yesterday Britain voted to leave the European Union and although the vote is not binding it seems inconceivable that it won’t be followed through.