Am I unfit for the job?

Hi guys,

I am a junior ER Associate (24M) at a BB covering companies in my home country (Asia EM) and about 1 year into the job now. My sincere apologies for the long post but just want to get some honest opinions on my case.

For the last few months, I have doubted if I am fit for the job and felt somewhat disappointed with my own performance. A bit on my background, I studied finance at a state school in the US but then moved back to my country right after graduation due to Covid. Later passed CFA level II and landed an advisory role at a local Big 4 office (non-financial) and worked for about a year before joining the current firm. Thus, despite my education, I was quite inexperienced in finance. Nonetheless, I was picked for my role which I think is mainly attributed to the fact that I speak the language (a decent resume might have helped here). Also later found out that my boss (sector head) needed someone to pick up the coverage of another experienced analyst (+10y of exp) who left. During recruitment, I was briefed that I would only support the coverage and get to know the industry during the first 6-12m.

However, things quickly changed just 2-3m after I joined. I was told to recreate and improve the models because my boss didn't like those left behind by the previous analyst. Also immediately starting writing earnings notes and 6m in I had already cranked out my first 40-page sector note (or at least the drafts). I even work on initiations now. In short, now I take care of all of the technical work in my market.

Despite a short coverage list, work has been a bit difficult for me as I haven't received any training and teaching since joining. My boss seemed to rely on me completely since he didn't have the background covering my country either. While I understand that self-learning is the key, it has been really painful given I lack the background knowledge of the market. I haven't really understood the market dynamic and am still learning. However, the progress has been a bit slow due to the fact that guidance and consensus data in my market aren't super reliable and the market itself is going through an unprecedented time with government interventions overriding market forces (think of China). Hell, even the companies aren't even sure where they are going and keep guidance ambiguous/conflicting. Yet, my boss expects me to know things inside out and then explain it to him like he is 5.

I just want to listen to everyone's honest opinions to see if it's just the normal ER experience or if I am indeed in a tough spot. Just a note, I really love the analytical aspects of the job.