Surveys Provide Top Wall Street Investors with Analysts' Private Information

In a New York Times article from July 15, it was stated that the nation’s most powerful brokerage firms are using surveys and questionnaires to provide private information to some of their top hedge fund clients about some of the companies that they follow. However, the results of the surveys may provide these clients with certain "advance" information that could influence the hedge funds' investment decisions.  Top hedge funds have been utilizing these surveys to probe analysts on their views and predictions about earnings and other corporate developments that could lead to stock upgrades and downgrades. This may yet be another example of how bigger firms and more powerful investors have an advantage over smaller and retail investors.  To see the full article, please visit this link.