Connecting Cross‐Border Market Participants: The Intermediary Role of International Analysts in Global Capital Markets

Although the analyst profession has rapidly expanded internationally, very few studies have examined the distinct role of international analysts in the global economy. Motivated to address this need, we examine the role of international analysts as key intermediaries connecting local firms with foreign investors. Specifically, we investigate whether and under what circumstances the international analyst community in a host country influences foreign equity investment in the country. Our analyses of foreign portfolio investment inflows in 57 countries from 1987 to 2007 demonstrate that the international analyst community plays an essential role in facilitating cross‐border equity investment by mitigating foreign investors' information challenges. We also find that the extent of such influence is further affected by the heterogeneity of the host country's information environment and by that of the international analyst community. These findings extend the extant knowledge of analysts, information intermediaries, cross‐border capital investment, and global professions.