Clearing the Murky Waters: The First Analyst Recommendations and Retail Trading Costs
Abstract
As retail trading has expanded over the past few decades, concerns have grown that noisy social-media signals dominate the information environment, leaving it unclear whether analyst recommendations still matter or can improve it. I examine the effect of a stock’s first analyst recommendation on transaction costs using Rule 605 data across wholesalers and exchanges. After the first coverage, effective spreads decline on both venues, with the largest reductions at the leading wholesalers. The leading wholesalersalsocedemarketshare,particularlyforlargerorders,astheydonotprovide a greater reduction in effective spread compared to others, and rivals catch up on price improvement. Thus, credible information production strengthens venue competition and delivers measurably better retail execution.