Using unique new data, we examine whether brokerage trading volume creates a conflict of interest for analysts' earnings forecasts. We find that forecast optimism is associated with higher brokerage volume, even controlling for forecast and analyst quality, recommendations, and target prices....

The revised Markets in Financial Instruments Directive, known as MiFID II, requires the unbundling of research payments from trading execution. Using a difference-in-differences research design, we examine whether this regulation achieved its intended objective. We find that MiFID II weakened...