Research Analyst -> Finance Pipeline?

First post here.

I work at a country risk/industry research house in London and have been there for about a year having just finished the grad program . My role sits within the banking research team & my focus is top-down balance sheet trends and sector risk, not company-level financial modeling or valuation

The work is fairly un-quantitative, and a lot of it involves producing forecasts, writing thought leadership pieces, building decks, and delivering consulting-style presentations to large clients.

The problem is that I find the work pretty unfulfilling. My background and interests have always been much more markets-focused. Prior to this, I spent a year at small consulting firm, and before that completed a Bachelor's in Economics. I'm also currently about to start studying for CFA Level I.

I'm looking to move into more market-driven work but am unsure what the best route is. Given that I only have a bachelor's degree and relatively limited experience, I'm not particularly optimistic about full-time recruiting in the current market. Because of that, I've been considering doing a master's degree, but I'm not sure whether it would materially improve my prospects versus recruiting directly.

I'm also curious about how relevant my current experience is for market-related roles. Would recruiters and hiring managers view that as a useful stepping stone, or is it still too far removed from markets to make a meaningful difference?

I'd be grateful for any advice from people who have made a similar transition, particularly regarding:

- Whether a master's is worth it versus recruiting directly.
- What types of market-focused roles would be realistic from my background.
- How banking research experience is perceived by recruiters.
- Whether the CFA is likely to move the needle in my situation.