RESPONSIBILITIES
Analysts research an economic sector such as Luxury Goods, Media or Oil & Gas (we cover 23 sectors in all), investigating listed companies at length to identify those that offer the best investment opportunities, which they will then propose to clients. This involves studying the surrounding context of each company covered, including its growth and development strategies, its competition, the regulatory environment in which it operates and so on. The analyst then uses these findings to model the projected financial performance of the companies in order to calculate their value and develop an investment case, which they formalise in written reports to be given to clients. The commercial dimension of the analyst's job is crucial: analysts have to be able to sell their ideas to clients both in-house (at morning meetings and internal presentations, for example) and at external financial institutions (e.g., through corporate roadshows).

WHAT THEY SAY
Adam W.- Financial analyst in London.
Delphine D.- Financial analyst in Paris.