This represents the first time that search-driven research has been integrated into a major financial information service platform. Capital IQ is a division of Standard & Poor's. FirstRain is the leading provider of search-driven research for investment and corporate professionals.

FirstRain applies state-of-the-art search, extraction and pattern detection technology to the web to generate company models, business topics and trends critical to the institutional investor. The firm will provide Capital IQ with a continually updated data stream of qualitative web results. This will allow Capital IQ clients to quickly and efficiently discover web information that is essential to their decision-making.

Alternative research is the fastest growing segment of the financial research industry; estimated to grow to 37 percent over the next five years and reach $2.5 billion by 2010 according to Integrity Research Associates. Within this segment, the search-driven research category is the application of search technology, business models and analytics to derive highly relevant, original data from the web for professionals looking for market-moving information and trends. As a growing number of buy-side firms look to bring research in-house, search-driven research is fast becoming a "must have" tool for differentiated content.

"FirstRain enables us to provide an additional dimension of information that our clients can use to make better decisions," said Randall Winn, Executive Managing Director of Capital IQ. "Our core offering ties together very detailed business and financial information on companies worldwide with analytical tools geared for investment professionals. FirstRain complements our offering by creating an efficient way for our clients to combine fundamental analysis with qualitative assessment of market perspectives about specific companies and industries."

Institutional investors need a comprehensive view of companies and industries and new online data sources—such as blogs, sector and industry-specific web sites and premium subscription sources—play an increasingly significant role in the research process.

"The web is the new, virtually infinite database reflecting the world and people's opinions of their world. It holds immeasurable facts, trends and insights about companies, people and markets. This qualitative data is vitally important to the capital markets," said Penny Herscher, president and CEO of FirstRain. "Capital IQ has identified a key need for their customers and we are delighted that they have selected FirstRain as their web-based information partner."