Best Industry Guides

Hey guys,

I will be starting at a buyside shop as a RA this fall. Previously I was in banking internships, so ER and the sectors I will be covering are largely new to me.

Does anyone have any great recommendations on site/books in which to get really in depth coverage on a particular industry? I'd like to learn as much as I can about the industries I will be covering before I start so that the majority of my initial learning will be technical vs. industry-related. Using Google I have found some primers which are OK but aren't very detailed.

I will be covering Utilities and Basic Materials if that helps at all. I apologize if this exists somewhere already; I did a search and didn't get the results I was hoping for.

Thanks!

24 Comments
 

I've gotten some pretty good industry outlooks by reading a years or so worth of earnings calls from 5-6 companies in whatever field I'm trying to learn about.

 

trying search for industry primers in google.

for example, if your interested in income producing securities, google something like 'industry primer income securities' and this link pops up:

https://www.wellsfargoresearch.com/Public/TRACS/TRACS%2015%20Income%20S…

try adding the name of a bank at the end of your search

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the way I learn about industries is through initiation reports and 10Ks. also companies will issue periodic updates on certain industries that won't be books but will be like 50-100 pages, if you work at a BB these shouldn't be hard to find. beyond that, paine webber has a manual out there for specific industries that was published in the 70s or 80s. a lot of the detail isn't current but it should give you a good indication of how that industry works.

If I were starting fresh again, I'd start with 10Ks, companies describe their business, risks, things to consider, and you should get a general picture of how that works. then read the 10Ks of their competitors, note the differences. after that, read those company reports, primers, initiations of coverage, etc.

 

All good advice, I've been reading 10-k's and I guess I just need to pick an industry and study it for a while. I jump around from one company in one industry to another, and I guess I just need to focus. Outside of picking an industry you can understand and enjoy learning about, do you do a quick top down approach, before really diving in to see if it is viable going forward?

 

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investopeida has good info on manipulative accounting.

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