Profile supplies a full range of unit trust data, including daily closing prices, management company details, fund descriptions, fees charged, portfolio details, and a full range of performance figures. Profile's performance figures conform to the standard defined by Professor Hugo Lambrechts of Pretoria University, which is one of the methods approved by the Association of Unit Trusts.

Profile's research department updates the company's unit trust database, known as FundsData, on a daily basis. Portfolio data is available within 24 hours of release by management companies, and the bulk of portfolio data is usually in the system by the twelfth working day after quarter end. Profile will launch a news module in April 2001, which will cover new funds to be launched, movement of portfolio managers within the industry, regulatory changes, and general industry comment.

A spokesman from Old Mutual says that the company considered several suppliers of unit trust data, but found that Profile's data was both up-to-date and accurate. Profile's database system was also found to be highly sophisticated and flexible, and able to interface with existing systems at Old Mutual.

Profile is the leading supplier of fundamental data on listed companies to online broking firms, with a client list that includes BoE Securities, Investec Securities, saInvestor, Standard Bank Equities, and Tradek.com. The company also supplies fundamental data to a number of portal sites, including Sharenet, Woza, and ZAFinance.