The Changing Face of Equity Trading: Paying For Research

The looming pensions crisis in Europe is shifting the spotlight from the sell side to the buy side to account for current practices in the consumption of research.  Opacity and confusion over costs and fees has led some to believe that the use of dealing commissions to purchase research is fatally flawed. On the back of a string of financial services scandals, such views are understandable, but hardline responses rarely deliver intended results.