Can you tell me who the best investment manager is?

Why we do not produce league tables or rankings of manager returns

A natural follow-up to the question of identifying the best manager is why we do not publish league tables ranking individual manager returns. The answer lies in maintaining the integrity of the ARC Indices as an independent benchmark.

Preserving benchmark value

The ARC Indices are designed to provide an objective measure of risk-adjusted performance across the investment industry. If individual manager returns were publicly ranked, the value of the indices as a neutral industry benchmark would be compromised.

Encouraging industry transparency

A crucial factor in the robustness of the ARC Indices is the breadth of data submitted by discretionary investment managers. Publicly ranking managers would create a disincentive for those with below-average returns to contribute, reducing transparency and diminishing the value of the benchmark. Instead, by keeping individual manager data confidential, we encourage broad participation, ensuring the indices remain a reliable measure of industry-wide performance.

Focus on Risk-Adjusted Peer Group Analysis

Rather than producing league tables, the ARC Indices provide a meaningful way for investors, trustees and advisers to assess performance within appropriate risk categories. The focus is on whether a manager delivers returns commensurate with the risk taken, not on an arbitrary ranking that may not account for differences in investment strategy, client mandates or market conditions.

Rather than “Who is the best manager?” a more useful question is, “Is my manager delivering appropriate risk-adjusted returns relative to their peers?”

The ARC Indices provide an independent framework to help answer this, allowing investors to make informed decisions based on data rather than marketing claims.