What do you think is the best equity research industry? industry, research, growing, equity, demand

cyber21

What do you think is the most in demand area for equity research? Such an area would be growing, be complicated and most conducive to analysis, etc.

I think alternative energy is definitely one that'll be a big area in the future.

Palantir

I see more ER healthcare job postings than for any other industry, and it's actually one industry where having industry-centric knowledge can create a barrier to entry. Most "basic" industries can be learned in a relativelty short amount of time (retail, manufacturing, software, media, services, etc.) but it's hard to say that about healthcare, and HC has natural structural tailwinds as well, so research is going to remain in demand as baby boomers age.

Alt energy, broadly speaking, is a bubble IMO. Solar is a joke, and a lot the fancy battery companies are highly questionable as well. Wind tech is pretty good I guess. Anyway, I find more short opportunities in alt energy than probably anywhere else in the market, so I would be skeptical about betting your career on that industry.

At the end of the day, the best role for making money is generalist.

defour44

^ Definitely correct about healthcare. There are huge positive demographics to healthcare and you can't escape the industry with nearly all statistics pointing to a surge in demand.

Something like 10,000 people become Medicare eligible every day this year, and this is expected to continue for another couple decades. massive growth.

stalkey

The issue with healthcare is that it is also likely to be a highly regulated industry, and those regulations can feel pressure to change dramatically, particularly as the politically powerful boomers age and decide that they want Uncle Sam to pay for stuff and don't want taxes and do want to be able to sue for not getting an extra 22 days of life on the super duper new machine.

However, that kind of analysis can be fun, and it will definitely be important.


Alt energy may be overdone right now, but it is an issue that will reemerge. It always goes in and out of style.


Quite honestly, I'd look at an industry you really enjoy or want to understand or think you have some special insight into. Most industries will still be around in 30 years in some form or other, and the easiest way to do good analysis is to analyze something you enjoy analyzing. You'll naturally bring good energy and effort into it, and that's the best way to impress.

John10

Technology - The perpetual bubble - always volatile, always crazy - more brokerage, more research!

xilinx_altera

numi Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> impossible to fake enthusiasm and passion

too easy.

good discussion; i'd add that the one hiring is the best...

needhelp1700

Nuclear fusion

SAAS, baby, yeah.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at Wednesday, September 14, 2011 at 02:58PM by brain_wash_your_face.

Howd

I personally like industries that are based on a commodity--energy, mining, ag related, etc. Often you can gather information on the commodity that you can feed into your equity analysis. Also, those industries can be cyclical and volatile, which gives you more of an opportunity to add alpha.