Business newspaper readers are accustomed to such information as ratings, especially if it is about the economy. Explanatory tables and charts are usually more demonstrative than texts. RBC has launched an online rating project (http://ratings.rbc.ru), which is in fact a rating media.

It is designed for both professionals and those consumers who wonder whether it is worth investing in real estate or, say, in investment funds. Ratings are issued by banks, insurance companies, retail chains, telecommunications companies, shares and other securities etc. Along with ratings, where subjective assessment plays an important part, rankings are also provided - lists of companies ranked according to certain criteria, for example, sales. Rating methods are also provided.

In addition to lists compiled by RBC analysts, there are also ratings borrowed from other sources. So, ratings of Russia's richest people have been taken from external sources. Data provided by the international rating agency Standard & Poor's and their Russian colleagues are posted as well.

Apart from "best of the best" ratings and rankings, there are lists of "worst of the worst", showing the most unreliable stocks, the least profitable mutual funds and the like. Accordingly, they are called not "top 10" but "bottom 10". Among them is a table showing the greatest shocks to the Russian trading system.

Tables are accompanied by charts and diagrams. Flash technologies allow for effectively updating these charts. In addition, all ratings come with detailed analytical materials, explaining key points and the main trends in this or that segment of the market.

The author is an employee of Axel Springer Russia. The review was written for Vedomosti.