FactSet, a global provider of integrated financial information, analytical applications, and industry-leading services, today announced the expansion of the Open:FactSet Marketplace (OFM), with the launch of new features and data offerings, including investment signal data from IHS Markit.

IHS Markit’s Research Signals offers financial and industry data that covers over 30,000 securities in 80 countries and has a history going back 20+ years. FactSet and IHS Markit have worked together to integrate this robust data into the Open:FactSet Marketplace, addressing issues of data fragmentation and back-end connectivity so clients can begin using the content immediately. Research Signals is the first of several data feeds IHS Markit is planning to include in the OFM this year.

“Data is the fastest growing currency for investment managers,” said Rich Newman, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Content and Technology Solutions at FactSet. “Adding data from companies like IHS Markit to the Open:FactSet Marketplace is game-changing for our clients. The breadth and depth of content complements the core and alternative datasets already in our ecosystem, and we will continue to break down data siloes and help our clients discover new ways to drive smarter decision-making.”

“Research Signals brings a comprehensive library of traditional quantitative research factors and alternative data signals from IHS Markit to the Open:FactSet Marketplace that investment managers can quickly integrate into their investment process,” said Sally Moore, Executive Vice President and Global Head of Corporate Development and Strategic Alliances at IHS Markit. “As more financial institutions look to alternative data as a source of alpha, our work with FactSet will help them move more swiftly from initial ideas to actionable insights.”

FactSet has also introduced a Candidate Program for data providers as well as a Community Forum to the Open:FactSet Marketplace. The Candidate Program allows clients to discover and evaluate potential new datasets before they become available as fully integrated products on the OFM, with all candidate providers screened by FactSet before being accepted into the program. The Community Forum meanwhile will be a resource for FactSet clients and will serve as a central location for them to discover new ideas, post reviews and sample code, and ask questions to the OFM community.

“We are an integral part of the growing alternative data frontier,” said Rich Newman, “and it is important to have a community where the industry can explore this frontier together.”