CFRA, one of the world’s premier providers for investment and industry research, is acquiring First Bridge Data, which offers investors and advisors extensive analytics on ETFs. CFRA clients will soon be able to access First Bridge’s database detailing ETF constituent holdings, as well as data visualization resources that can help advisors draft specialized reports on individual ETF characteristics.
Todd Rosenbluth, CFRA’s Head of ETF and Mutual Fund Research, said the firm “could not be more excited” about integrating First Bridge’s database into CFRA’s ETF analyses, claiming the two firms had complementary views on the kinds of ETF analytics most valuable for clients.
“CFRA’s entire approach to ETF ratings and research is distinguished by its focus on holdings-level analysis, so adding First Bridge, with its daily constituent holdings data, to our proprietary suite of offerings will only make our efforts that much stronger,” he said about the acquisition.
Aniket Ullal, an equity index product management expert, formed First Bridge in 2011 after working for S&P Dow Jones Indices. In the time since, First Bridge has become one of the industry’s leading sources for analytics on specific holdings of individual ETFs, assisting advisors and investors assess potential opportunities (Ullal also frequently highlights significant findings on ETF data at WealthManagement.com).
To facilitate the acquisition, Ullal will join CFRA full time; he echoed Rosenbluth’s excitement about bringing First Bridge’s “data visualization solutions to a wider, global audience.”
“Combining our expertise and solutions with CFRA’s extensive research capabilities creates an offering that I think institutional investors and wealth managers will find to be unsurpassed in the marketplace,” he said.
CFRA was founded in 1994, with an international reach and a team of 75 research analysts working to assist more than 2,000 clients, including wealth advisors, corporations and governments.
