Buy, Sell, or Hold: How to Break Into Equity Research and Pitch Stocks Like a Pro

So I was looking at the most popular search terms on M&I the other day, and reached two conclusions:

1. You really like that silly little cover letter template I created.
2. It seems a few people might want to hear about this thing called “equity research” – I guess that might be a good idea one of these days?

We’ve already been through everything else on the list to the right, so now we’re going to apply the magical process of elimination and focus on equity research: what it is, how you break in, and how to dominate your interviews and land offers.

You’ll get to learn all of that straight from the source: a reader who has worked in equity research at both boutiques and bulge bracket banks and seen the market in the best of times and the worst of times.

Let’s get started.

Investment Banking Recruiting in Europe: London vs. Frankfurt vs. Milan

While you’ve learned all about recruiting in Europe before in places like the UK, Germany, and Italy, we’ve never done a direct comparison of what to expect in each region.

Will you really have to go through assessment centers and similar interviews in each place?

Are they only looking for locals or can you break in as a foreigner? What about language requirements and that all-important summer internship to full-time offer conversion rate?

Today a reader who has recruited across Europe – and won 2 internship offers – will share his experiences and answer all those questions, plus a whole lot more.

Degrees and Certifications: Got CFA + JD + MBA + MD?

After a long absence, my favorite topic is back: no, not GPA rounding, ranking the banks, or re-assuring you that your “career path” is correct, but degrees and certifications.

Despite my best efforts to bash certifications and give snarky responses to related questions, there’s still confusion on what banks care about, what you can do with different degrees, and the meaning of life.

While I can’t help with the meaning of life (42?), I can tell you which degrees and certifications mean something and help you break into finance – and which will not.