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Hi Danish,
Equity research is the study of equities or stocks for the purpose of investments.
Qualifications Required:
-At an entry level you will be an associate.
Almost always a MBA/CFA/CA is a must to start your career as an Equity Research Associate.
This is because, to be a successful Equity Research Analyst, you need to have excellent knowledge of accounting and financial statement analysis. It is a common misconception that Banks recruit only Commerce or Accounting students.
-In fact students with Engineering backgrounds are highly sort after since these roles are very analytical.
Skills Needed
-Great comfort with numbers and superior analytical skills. You will be starring at a spreadsheet with a few thousand numbers most of your work day.
-Interest in the capital markets and how they function.
Good knowledge of accounting and finance fundamentals.
-And obviously as with any finance job excellent communication skills. In this case writing skills are important as well since you will be writing research reports.
Pay Package
In India, top tier banks pay entry level Equity Research Analysts around Rs.20 lakhs per annum. However, at the low end, many Indian Banks pay around Rs. 7 lakhs for their Equity Research Associates. In the US, Associates start at about US$80,000 (including bonus). The working hours may not be as demanding as Investment Banking but you should still expect 12-14 hour days.
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