Do security analysts learn from their colleagues?

• Main Authors: PHUA, Kenny, THAM, T. Mandy, WEI, Chi Shen
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2017
• Subjects: peer effects; networks; analysts; coworkers; Finance; Finance and Financial Management
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/lkcsb_research/6580; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/lkcsb_research/article/7579/viewcontent/AnalystLearning_FMA2017.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

We examine how learning from colleagues affects security analyst forecast outcomes. We represent the brokerage house as an information network of analysts connected through industry overlaps in their coverage portfolios. Analysts who are more centrally connected in their brokerage network produce more accurate forecast estimates and generate more influential forecast revisions. Consistent with learning, more central analysts tend to unwind their colleagues’ recent forecast errors in their forecast revisions. Learning appears to benefit all colleagues, as working at more interconnected brokerages (i.e., denser networks) improves forecast accuracy for all analysts.