IFC has dedicated and experienced teams in three critical areas - research, programming and client service - that ensure our products and services are without equal. When coupled with the best data and our software platform, all of these resources afford IFC with a competitive advantage over other equity research products and data vendors.

 

IFC data is accurate, timely and comparable.

The IFC research team consists of dedicated and knowledgeable professionals with CFA, CA, CGA and CPA designations who represent over 60 percent of the human resources at IFC. Working two shifts, the research team enters a continuous flow of data and ensures that important announcements publicized after market close are recorded in the database and are available for clients the next morning. 

The comparability of the IFC data is unmatched. All of our data is recorded on a continuing operations basis and is adjusted to exclude unusual or non-recurring gains or losses. To further ensure the accuracy and comparability of our data, our programming staff has written many data entry-checking routines so that no questionable data can be entered either through oversight or human error. 
  

IFC provides a timely and comprehensive Estimate Service.

The greatest strength of our Estimate Service is the relationship we have developed with our clients and the brokerage community over the past 18 years. We receive brokers' estimate reports on a timely basis because our clients demand it and the brokerage community knows and respects that this timeliness is crucial. In addition, IFC provides the brokerage community with special analytics to ensure their estimates are always current and consistent with standard industry practice. 
 

The equity market software integrates these estimates into the service allowing users enormous flexibility. Users can apply their own 'personal touch', such as: 

deciding which estimates are included in the consensus median or average.
entering their own estimates or estimates from any other proprietary source.


creating their own proprietary variables using any combination of the data and estimates

Our Equity Market Service is the complete service.

The IFC Services combine eighteen years of experience with: the best raw materials; a proven multivariate ranking and screening methodology; and a user-friendly software platform. Beyond the many useful and profitable applications, clients are also able to import and integrate their own data and stocks into the service and/or export our data to a spreadsheet for further analysis and manipulation.

The IFC Backtest Service is powerful.

A backtesting service is only as powerful and meaningful as its data. The IFC Backtest Service utilizes a real-time historic database. IFC has maintained its data consistently, providing Backtest users the confidence that their results are accurate, reliable and realistic. IFC Backtest results are not affected by many of the common problems associated with other backtest routines, such as survivorship biases and backfilled unreal data. 

To create the foundation for a disciplined money management approach, backtest your investment models prior to implementation and gain an understanding of the historic performance characteristics. The IFC Backtest Service produces many reports detailing such statistics as performance, turnover, and success in up and down markets. 
 
The IFC Backtest Service excels as a tool for learning and is invaluable for designing profitable investment strategies. In our Canadian Backtest, the historic database contains adjusted monthly data since 1985, while the U.S. Backtest contains data since 1993, and the Japan Backtest since 1987. 
 

The Single Variable Test shows you what worked. 

IFC performs an exhaustive analysis on over 140 variables that are commonly used in the investment analysis and decision making process. The "must have" Single Variable Test provides you with the historic proof and the reliability of the variables or 'ingredients' that you are going to emphasize in your particular analysis and management style. 
 
The extensive results of the Single Variable Test have many applications that include identifying: 

which variables consistently outperformed / underperformed the market when variables outperformed / underperformed the market 
 

The IFC Time Series provides historic analysis.

Explaining to your clients and prospective clients how you invest assets is a very important task. A portfolio Time Series analysis is the most effective way of evaluating a portfolio's fundamental characteristics over an extended period of time. This analysis allows you to compare a portfolio's fundamental characteristics to a benchmark, analyze the investment style and quantify the variability or consistency of the characteristics. In addition, a Time Series is a proven and effective way of demonstrating how performance was generated.


You have the complete support of the entire IFC team.

The IFC client service team is very dedicated to ensuring that our clients learn the software as quickly as possible, and continue to use it on an ongoing basis. The client service team is always available during regular office hours to immediately answer your questions and provide assistance. Arrangements can also be made for any times outside business hours. We will meet with you regularly to demonstrate the useful and profitable features of the software, discuss the market conditions and review portfolio holdings. We are confident our services will add value to your specific investment decision-making process. 

Our products are licensed on a month-to-month basis - there is no requirement for a long-term commitment. We make it our responsibility to provide training and support so that you receive full value from our service. We believe IFC can benefit any equity investor by bringing focus and discipline to the investment process.