Over the past ten years, the hedge fund industry has grown and driven the demand for quality equity research. As global hedge fund assets have risen continuously, there is also continued growth in platform hedge funds (sector-focused funds with dedicated portfolio managers concentrating on one sector). These funds maintain a meticulous and scrupulous approach that depends on industry-driven, insider information.
As such, hedge fund managers put Morgan Stanley in first place in the 2021 All-America Research Team: Hedge Fund Cut, moving them up from the third place in 2020.
Bank of America says its analysts’ work and client base also reflect this new shift. The investors and those informing their decision-making are focused on the longer term; they are all looking at the broader picture while maintaining focus on the immediate.
According to David Adelman, director of equity research for the Americas at Morgan Stanley, the success stems from a holistic approach. Adelman insists that “Morgan Stanley doesn’t have a hedge fund research product. We have a research product that is trying to provide differentiated insight to help all investors make decisions. [Our product] is both strategic and long term and has a real analytical framework, but we aren’t opposed to having a differentiated view making short-term calls as well.”