The Lemon Fool

I monitor my portfolios on the FT site via my ft.com subscription (which is not cheap).

Yesterday my Vanguard ETF holdings vanished from portfolio.

FT were prompt to explain why:

"We have received information from our Data Provider that Vanguard ETFs has been removed from FT.com as FT no longer have the rights to publish information for them."

Kind regards, XYZ
Digital Product Support Specialist

What nonsense is this? Which muppets in the legal team forgot to renew a rights agreement? Who knew they had to have agreements with ETF providers anyway?

Have told FT.com to sort themselves out and I will report back.

C

ChrisF0 wrote:I monitor my portfolios on the FT site via my ft.com subscription (which is not cheap).

My sympathies, as you pay for this you'd expect better

As a side note, the FT Portfolio is available without the need for a subscription. A free registration is sufficient to be able to use it.

This has messed up my portfolio too - all my Vanguard ETF holdings have suddenly disappeared without warning. No response from FT either when I reported via the "provide feedback" tab probably because I'm not a paying customer. Makes a mockery of their "we're constantly improving"slogan - not from where I'm sitting they're not.

Ho hum, back to Yahoo I suppose!

I've tried a number of different (free) online portfolios over the years, but have given up with them, as every now and again they drop a ball or change their structure so as to no longer suit my needs.

These days my portfolio is driven by the HYPTUSS, whose authors appear to have a respect for backwards compatibility*, as well as a can-do attitude about keeping the s/sheet operational despite the various changes in source data inflicted upon them!

As I have my portfolio s/sheet in a folder that is syncronised with Google drive**, it's also available to me wherever I am, so long as I can sign in to my google account.

VRD


*As in, I can run my custom s/sheets from new releases of HYPTUSS, as the authors keep column data and data start positions the same from one release to the next.

** Other synchronised storage providers are available!

vrdiver wrote:
These days my portfolio is driven by the HYPTUSS, whose authors appear to have a respect for backwards compatibility, as well as a can-do attitude about keeping the s/sheet operational despite the various changes in source data inflicted upon them!

Thanks, VR, that's very nice of you.

I think it helps a great deal that it's supported by two stubborn buggers who don't like to be defeated by the pesky data-providers!

It's great to hear that people continue to find it useful, which is the single main driver for our continued support.

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

What an amazing site lemonfool is: after searching Google endlessly to find an answer to why the FT portfolio has dropped Vanguard price feeds, I should have realised I'd find it here!

I haven't had a response to my query to FT but I'm not a paid subscriber either.

Time to download everything to my own spreadsheet and just get monthly valuations. I'll lose the performance data as I can't be bothered to get that involved in creating the detail in a spreadsheet, but hey ho . . .

I've had the same experience with FT Portfolios losing my Vanguard portfolio value.

I have found that if I look under the "transactions" tab in the portfolio tool, then the total portfolio value does appear (although not a value for each holding - at least under the settings mine defaults to). The figure looks credible (without cross-checking with my ISA provider).

I didn't provide any feedback to FT.com since I have had another problem with my main (HYP) portfolio, which has developed an inability to reduce the cash holding below a certain £value, which means having to remember my portfolio is worth several thousand pounds less than the rolling total.

I've reported this a couple of times but had no response, so didn't think it worth reporting the ETF issue

Chris

FT now say "vanguard ETFs removed from the FT universe at vanguard's request"

I have suggested they reopen negotiations and spend some of their subscribers' money sorting this spat out. Guessing that some rights bod at the FT tried to play hardball with Vanguard, and the latter told FT to naff off, as m'legal friends put it. It makes FT look ridiculous as I have pointed out. A case for twitter?

Vanguard are at least quick to respond. They say:

"We are aware that they [the FT] are having some
problems with the data feed"

I have asked Vanguard to give it a prod from their end. We live in hope.

C

Thanks for chasing this. I use FT's portfolio and it's my favourite as it automatically includes dividend payments so I get the TR stats (unlike every other online portfolio I've looked at). I really hope someone at FT has a change of heart.

following a prompt, I've had another message from Vanguard:

"We raised this again with FT who informed us that our funds will be made available on their website next week."

I live in hope......

C

OK, so Vanguard have sorted it – or got the FT to sort it.

Vanguard ETFs are back in my on-line portfolio.

Thanks, Vanguard, whose customer service was more effective, and informative, than the FT's. Being in the communications business does not seem to help the FT communicate with its (paying) customers!

C