Equities vs HY/Leveraged Loans

Coming out of uni and I have two separate offers in asset management in London. One in equity research at a $100bn shop and one in leveraged finance (high yield/leveraged loans) at a top 10 global asset manager. I am considering which would be better in terms of long term career and compensation. Any insights?

Which is better?

HY/leveraged loans-top 10
80% (28 votes)
Equities-mid-size
20% (7 votes)
Total votes: 35
7 Comments
 
Most Helpful

It ultimately comes down to what you are more interested in. If indifferent, I would recommend going down the leveraged finance path. Its more complex than equity and I've seen a number of my peers switch from leveraged finance to equities, but dont see much movement in the opposite direction. But it also depends on what platform you are investing in; e.g. is the $100bn shop in equities a mutual fund? Is the leveraged finance role at a CLO

 

Sed quia vel quibusdam inventore. Non omnis debitis sunt voluptatem provident consequatur ipsam officia. Ex sed cum vel nihil ad corrupti libero.

Repellendus qui praesentium blanditiis sed. Rerum quae dolorem sapiente numquam excepturi recusandae repudiandae. Voluptatem sequi quae fuga distinctio qui.

Et voluptatem id officia occaecati repellat. Commodi dolorem amet fugiat facilis aliquam mollitia sed. Minima saepe reprehenderit quia. Quos adipisci harum et aut quis et sint veniam. Nostrum rerum assumenda est iste aut esse.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (50) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”