Reforms on analyst conflicts of interest prohibit the use of investment banking revenue to fund equity research and compensate equity analysts. After the reforms, we find that star analysts from investment banks are more likely to exit the profession and move to the buy side than before. The...

This study examines the consequences of the series of reforms targeting investment-banking-related conflicts of interest. We compare and contrast optimism biases in analysts' stock recommendations and earnings forecasts across different types of analyst firms in the post-reform period...