NEW YORK, April 12 – LAWFUEL – The Law News Network — New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer will explore issues related to the Global Settlement with Wall Street investment banks in his keynote address at 3 p.m. during the second annual
conference of independent researchers Wednesday, April 13. The event will be
held at the Waldorf Astoria on 301 Park Avenue.
Spitzer will discuss the state of independent research today and other
issues related to the deal that was struck with the nation’s largest
investment banks in April 2003. More than 300 institutional investors and
independent analysts are expected at the event, which is being hosted by the
Investorside Research Association.
Spitzer was the driving force behind the agreement, which required the
investment banking firms to supply independent research along with their in-
house proprietary research.
“Investors need access to research in which investment banking
opportunities and investment research are clearly separated and not subject to
potential conflicts of interest,” Spitzer said. “I commend Investorside for
long advocacy of this position and its continuing efforts to stimulate
dialogue on the issue.”
In addition to Attorney General Spitzer, Charles Gasparino, Newsweek
reporter and author of “Blood on the Street,” a book about conflicted Wall
Street research, is expected to talk about his new book and the downfall of
Henry Blodgett and other researchers whose conflicts of interest were exposed
by the Attorney General’s probe.
Panel discussions at the conference will also explore the differences
between proprietary and independent research, including the following:
* The Global Settlement called for research performance disclosure, yet
industry standards are still not in place; why?
* What is quality independent research?
* Is the marketplace discriminating against third party independent
research in favor of sell side proprietary research to the detriment of
investors?
* Do investors need more independent research, or does it matter if
investment decisions are based largely on proprietary research?
To register for the conference, please go to http://www.investorside.org.
Web Site: http://www.investorside.org
