The firm will initially cover more than 100 U.S. large, mid-cap and sector ETFs based on an innovative and proprietary rating methodology developed to provide additional value to the firm’s institutional and wealth management clients.
BofA Merrill Lynch global research head Candace Browning said: “We have actively supported a yearslong effort to allow broker dealers’ research departments to begin covering ETFs as we felt strongly it would serve the best interests of our clients.
“As the number of ETFs and inflows continue to grow, we are confident our clients will find value in the ETF team’s insights.
Mary Ann Bartels, head of Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) Strategy for BofA Merrill Lynch Global Research, leads the coverage team. With more than 25 years of investment experience in both research and wealth management, Bartels is known for high-quality portfolio strategy and research.
She was an Institutional Investor All-America Research-ranked analyst from 2006 through 2011, and is highly regarded for developing proprietary models for equity pairs trading and for her sector, industry and stock selection.
The BofA Merrill Lynch Global Research franchise covers almost 3,050 stocks and nearly 1,000 credits globally and ranks in the top tier in many external surveys.
Most recently, the group was named No. 2 Global Research Firm of 2017 by Institutional Investor magazine; No. 1 in the Institutional Investor 2018 Emerging EMEA survey; No. 2 in the 2018 All-Europe Fixed Income survey; No. 2 in the 2018 All-America Fixed Income survey; No. 3 in the 2018 Institutional Investor All-Europe survey; No. 3 in the 2018 Institutional Investor All-Asia survey; and No. 2 in the 2017 Institutional Investor All-America survey.
Source: Company Press Release
