Analyze This: New Bank Research Rules Spark Price War in Europe
Tug of war playing out between banks, asset managers over the value of research
Max Colchester and
Updated Sept. 9, 2017 7:29 a.m. ET
In Europe a tug of war is playing out between banks and asset managers over the value of research that floods investors’ inboxes every day.
In Europe a tug of war is playing out between banks and asset managers over the value of research that floods investors’ inboxes every day. Photo: Michele Limina/Bloomberg News
How much are investment research reports actually worth?
The answer: less than the banks that produce them think.
In Europe a tug of war is playing out between banks and asset managers over the value of research that floods investors’ inboxes every day urging them to buy or sell securities.
Currently banks dole out reports to asset managers for free, hoping to recoup the cost through commissions on trading. But as of Jan. 3 this opaque pricing system will be altered in Europe. New rules mean asset managers will have to disclose how much they spend on research every year.
That means putting a price on research. And banks and asset managers aren’t seeing eye-to-eye.
As the haggling gets under way a price-war has broken out. Earlier this year, banks were quoting Olivier de Larouzière, head of interest rates at Natixis Asset Management, an annual fee of as much as €300,000 for his firm to have unfettered access to fixed-income research and meetings with analysts. Since then, most banks’ prices have plummeted, he said, to around €70,000 on average, though some are still trying to charge about €150,000.
“The gap has clearly narrowed a lot,” said Mr. de Larouzière. But he still gets “very, very different proposals,” he added.
Overall total spending on research and trading execution could fall by up to $3 billion, according to consultancy Oliver Wyman.
Banks are increasingly at odds over the scope of research coverage to offer clients—and how much to charge for it. Some are still hoping to negotiate big fees into the millions of dollars a year with the biggest asset managers. Others are looking to give away some of their research reports for free.
Credit Suisse Group AG is exploiting a loophole in the new regulations to offer some basic bond research free of charge online, according to a person familiar with the matter. The Swiss bank hopes to make money by charging for access to analysts instead, this person said. Dutch bank ING Groep said Tuesday it will be giving away some of its economics analysis for nothing, as a way to promote its brand.
For equity research banks are hoping to charge a little more. J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. is toward the bottom of the pack, quoting basic access to read-only equity reports for $10,000 a year, according to a person familiar with the matter, with prices steadily increasing for clients who want more face-time with top analysts.
At the other end of the scale, Barclays PLC is trying to price its research as a premium product, according to several clients.
Asset managers are working out how much of this research they actually want.
“It’s made us have quality control. How much do I really need?“ said Chris Iggo, chief investment officer for fixed income at AXA Investment Managers.
Several investment firms asked their fund managers to rank research based on what was essential, helpful or useless. The results showed a lot of research is never read.
The new rules are “very bad for the price of bad research,” said Neil Scarth, principal at Frost Consulting & Advisory. But they could also make the cost of access to top quality analysis increase, he adds.
Under the current system, equity investors pay a commission fee to a broker when they trade. Part of that fee goes toward executing the trade and a portion is retained to pay for additional services, including equity research.
So there is some idea of how much equity research should cost. The U.K.’s Financial Conduct Authority estimates U.K. investment managers pay around £3 billion of dealing commissions a year to brokers, of which half is spent on research.
In fixed-income investing, however, the two sides are heading into uncharted waters. Banks currently provide fixed-income research to clients for free in the hope they’d direct business their way in the form of trading bonds or currencies.
The new rules are part of a revision of an EU law that is implemented by regulators across the trading bloc. One of its aims is to stop asset managers receiving “inducements” to trade with certain brokers and guarantee value for investors.
Fixed income managers aren’t delighted at the prospect of transparency. Many see paying for research as an extra cost that must either be passed onto their clients or taken from their own profits.
“Spreads will not come down because of this,” said Craig MacDonald, global head of fixed income at Standard Life Aberdeen , adding that it costs a similar amount to trade with some brokers who don’t provide research as those that do.
To push down research prices, fund managers are telling the banks: You need us more than we need you. Meeting bank analysts may be helpful to gauge the mood in the broader investment community, but the exchange of information cuts both ways.
They also exploited banks’ overriding concern that if money managers didn’t buy their research, they would trade with them less. “If you have no relationship in terms of research, how strong will your relationship stay in terms of execution?” said Mr. de Larouzière.
Mr. de Larouzière said his business uses around 50 research providers now, but he intends to cut that by more than half. He said he was now getting research quotes “at very low prices because they need to be on that list.”
The adoption of the new European rules is complicated by the fact that in the U.S. the rules are in conflict. EU asset managers will have an obligation to pay for research. However U.S. firms, that aren’t registered investment advisers, are prohibited from receiving direct payments. But analysts expect this to change.
“Research is a product that is going to be sold everywhere,” said Elliot Hand, a manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. “This will become standard.“
Write to Max Colchester at
max.colchester@wsj.com and Christopher Whittall at
christopher.whittall@wsj.com