New to Buyside ER. Which Sector to Cover?

HI there fellow monkeys, first time poster here. I just recently broke in to buyside ER and was given the unique opportunity to choose which sector I want to cover since I'll be their first ER guy. Which sector would you guys suggest and why? Thanks in advance

10 Comments
 

BIotech — 1. Largely uncorrelated versus most sectors. 2. Ability to differentiate oneself versus the benchmark meaning the sector is not nearly as efficient as say auto manufacturers covered by 15+ SS analysts. 3. The fact that it's esoteric in nature, therefore if you are able to gain an edge, you will be highly sought after in the industry.

 
Most Helpful

Whatever you'll enjoy and be good at. More you enjoy it, the better you'll probably be. Just recognize they're all pretty different.

Industrials: very traditional businesses. They generally make things and have large operating leverage. they are also pretty cyclical (and boring, if you ask me). Healthcare: tons of changes/regulation/etc to navigate, so you can add value. I think it's pretty interesting, and it's not too correlated to the economy. Tech: good mix of interesting and innovative companies. Some build stuff, some are services. Consumer: Staples is obviously more stable than discretionary, but both generally are selling goods to consumers. This can be annoying, because it can be "fad-like" Energy: it's oil prices Utilities: it's rates Real estate: mostly REITS, so mostly rates. But, I think REITS are more interesting than utilities or energy, because there are some very unique REITS out there, and you can add value if you can find them. Materials: mostly commodity stuff that moves with commodity prices and economic strength. Similar to REITS, there are some interesting more niche businesses that can add value. Telecom: it's like 7 companies... and most of them are slow growth and interest rate plays. I'd probably avoid.

 

Because they are mostly regulated businesses, so they grow very slowly and pay out pretty significant dividends (~4-5% dividend yields). Any stable business that pays a high dividend yield like that is essentially used by investors as a bond proxy to make income. Therefore, as rates rise, that 4ish% yield becomes less attractive to investors, and as rates fall, it becomes more attractive.

 

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