Myths of Sell Side Research

  1. Pay lags IB. While true, your hourly wage is probably comparable or higher.

  2. Sector matters. There are no universally coveted sectors. Coveted sector is bank by bank and analyst reputation matters disproportionally more. Industrials and healthcare are huge at many MM and BB sell side shops because they are complicated industries that require sell siders with macro knowledge. Consumer goods is huge at other shops. Many boutiques specialize in healthcare.

  3. Tech is coveted. Sell side tech is about as useless as it gets. You will learn very little real valuation, spend hours writing reports that no one will read as the stocks do not trade in fundamentals and any news of importance is already widely talked about on through free media.

  4. You will never work weekends. You will work weekends, particularly during earnings. Sell siders beware- this is not a "no weekends" gig. This is high finance and you will still work like this is high finance.

  5. Stock picking rankings matter. They do not. Financials and tech analysts tend to have the higher “star” ratings, whatever that’s good for, as their sectors have been growth over the past decade. Analysts that can provide macro insight are much more important to clients and are oftentimes compensated well above more “well known” counterparts because of trading volume/client base they are able to attract and hold down over time.

3 Comments
 

Ea et et eligendi repellendus fugit officiis voluptate. Consequatur et dolor quasi saepe placeat. Est assumenda fuga necessitatibus sed voluptas laborum atque. Debitis ab neque aliquid iusto voluptatem magnam.

Et et ut fugit iste autem possimus dolorum. Voluptas sint id magnam iste ex consequatur. A nobis deserunt est neque aut et.

Quo in est odit voluptatum dolor. Fugit rerum aut accusantium qui temporibus. In mollitia eligendi et sed iusto eos enim.

Officiis sit quia omnis illo incidunt similique. Est et quia omnis quisquam dolor maxime deserunt hic.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (65) $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
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
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...”