Unbundling Research: Canary in the Coalmine

Critics claim that unbundling research from execution will negatively impact research provision, particularly small and mid-cap companies, threatening listings and secondary trading volumes in Europe as a result. Proponents believe this offers an opportunity to open up the research market and challenge the status quo regarding the implementation and execution of investment ideas. As the first year of MiFID II draws to a close, we spoke to 62 market participants in a variety of roles... Read more

Mifid II going global, says research

IR Magazine anticipated trend for European regulation to become global standard Mifid II rules on the funding of investment research are changing behavior on a global scale, according to new research. It’s a development that has huge implications for fund houses, banks, brokers and investors globally – and a trend anticipated by IR Magazine more than a year ago. The research – by Liquidnet, a global institutional investment network – reveals that a majority of asset managers are... Read more

BlackRock and Peers Slash Research Budgets as New EU Rules Squeeze Brokers

BY JOSEPHINE MASON LONDON (Reuters) - BlackRock and other investment houses have slashed their budgets for external research by as much as half after the introduction of new European Union rules, piling pressure on stockbrokers, a senior executive at the world's top asset manager said on Tuesday. The EU's Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II, known as MiFID II, which took effect in January, states investment research must be priced separately from other broker services... Read more

Conference calendar hints at need for new approach to investor outreach

Investment banks’ shifting commitment to investor events provides leading indicator for IROs Almost a year has passed since the Mifid II directive came into force. This year has been described as transitional as both investment banks and institutional investors digest and respond to the new regulation. The anecdotes began to pile up as the year progressed. Notably, we hear that conference attendance is down by around 20 percent-30 percent, and various prominent institutional investors have... Read more

How to Make the Transition to Video Earnings Calls Trilby Lawless

Video has been proven to increase the effectiveness of communication across the board. As Simon Bryan, Managing Director, Americas of Lumi pointed out, “You’ve never seen an audio-only gender reveal.” When the message, delivery and reaction are all equally important in your communications, video is the best vehicle for delivery and to drive engagement from your audience. Investor earnings presentations fit right into this equation. The numbers are key, how you present them sets the tone for... Read more

Without Video, Is Your Communications Strategy One-Dimensional?

This post is brought to you by West Corporation, a proud sponsor of PRSA. Are you relying on text-only assets to drive your messaging? Consider this: Where both video and text are available at the same source, 72 percent of people prefer video to learn about a product or service. Anyone on my team will tell you how much I love video. Its ability to attract audiences with sound and sight is so “right now,” and the... Read more

Video Press Releases Best Practices

October 23, 2018Ben Chodor The traditional press release recipe is simple – an attention grabbing first sentence followed by an inverted pyramid of facts and quotes around your news. This rinse-and-repeat formula is useful for getting news out fast and communicating effectively, but like many things that are washed too many things it can start to get worn out and dated. To break this cycle, publicists and marketers alike are gravitating to the communication avenue... Read more

Meira Conference: IR comes of age in the Middle East

Importance of emerging markets index inclusion and why PR doesn’t equal IR The Bulgari Hotel and Resort in Dubai is precisely what you would expect of a five-star resort in a five-star destination: luxurious elegance and stylish sophistication. And when the Middle East Investor Relations Association (Meira) needed a statement venue for its 10th anniversary conference, the Bulgari delivered.  Ten years ago, I was one of the founders of Meira; I served on the board... Read more

MiFID II Reaches Across the Pond: Is This the Calm Before the Storm?

Despite the view that MiFID II is a European regulation, US investment managers are experiencing disruption as they align their research payment and execution practices with the influential standard. While MiFID II went into force on Jan. 3, 2018, US money managers of all types and sizes anticipate that MiFID II will influence their businesses, not just this year, but over the next year or two, according to a recent Tabb Group webinar. Already larger... Read more

Closing the Information Gap in a Post-MiFID World

When the European Union in January enacted the lengthy and complex law known as MiFID II, the extent of the new regulation’s global reach was unclear. Nearly a year later, one effect that’s being felt worldwide is the accelerated upheaval of the investment research market. In a business already upended by consolidation, budget cutbacks, and the looming role of artificial intelligence and automation, the new rules governing how research is paid for and consumed is... Read more