What is the expected salary (in KL) for candidate who has the following qualifications:
- passed CFA level I
- hold CMSR license from SC
- 1 year working experience in equity research

What is your last drawn salary?

The numbers of equity researcher in this forum is very limited, hence the median or mean don’t represent a good benchmark.

What you can do is to do a Kerry consulting or google search for equity research salary for a fresh graduate and try to narrow down to the institutions for wage structure differentiation. Don’t be too bothered by the CFA passed level I superiority because it carries no weight but does keep the door ajar.

I thought only level 3 grads will get the SC license?

Hi Keelim, thanks for your advice.
Kelly's salary guide stated that the salary for investment analyst with 5-10 years working experience is at the range of RM8000-RM18000..
I have no idea on the salary differentiation among the IB.. not able to get the info..
What is your opinion on an expected salary of RM4000 for the above qualifications?
Based on your reply, I believe you are working in this field.. Appreciate if you can give some guidance here..

not in the same industry but from what i can see, these are just beginner certs with 1 years of exp. RM4000 for begineer? I doubt it.

So this should be clear to you. Even for an established recruiting firm, the variance is RM10k. There is no way any forummer could provide you the magic number.

Put up a strong resume. Since you only have 1 year of experience, one page is sufficient.

No hard or fast rule for salary. If you’re in doubt of your own pricing, don’t put any figure. Let them offer.

Thanks, Keelim..

If you have done some good work and you're from a Tier 1 local, you should be able to command that salary on your next move. Especially sell side.

I think if your interviewer likes the work that you've done and if you perform well during the interview, you'll be able to breach the 4k mark even with 1 year of experience.

But I'd be surprised if your current pay is too far away from 4k. After 1 increment, would'nt your pay be at least 3k+ at your current place?

With a level 1 pass and 1 year experience, I think u r research assistant? Unless you are writing your own good report or made a name in the market for whatsoever reason, 4k is a bit on the high side but not impossible.

Den the question to answer is why the move.

What about analyst with 3 years experience with CFA? Any ideas what the salary range looks like?

3 Yrs experience and a Charterholder? The min requirement now is 4 years.

Equities or fixed income? buy side or sell side? finally, local or foreign?

I think the pay can range from 4k to 10k on base salary.

I am not from a Tier 1 institution..
yup, far away!!

Equities, sell side and tier 1 local bank...any difference if it is buy side?

Keelim: Am not sure, just checking out for a friend...

Thank you.. At least now I have some idea on the expected salary..

50-60k myr a year local big bank

80-100k sgd bulge bracket in sg

70-80k usd bulge bracket in nyc

rough estimates, now you know how pathetic it is in kl

This post has been edited by iceypain: Dec 19 2012, 11:59 AM

It's really not the best time to look for equities research job in KL now. The foreign houses are cutting headcounts. Don't think the local players are hiring too. Well, rough estimate would be 7k-8k a month with 3 years of experience in Tier 1 sell side equities. If you're looking at buy side.... probably 5-6k? with 3 years of experience... These are just very rough estimates. If your friend moves from a tier 1 to a tier 2, he can command a higher premium with 3 years of experience.

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Added on December 19, 2012, 9:41 pmIf you have the right skills, i.e. basic financial modelling, bloomberg, bloomberg excel, accounting skills etc., I think 4k after 1 year is very possible. But look at where you can learn the most for now since you're still a junior. Money is important, but it should be something that you consider later.

This post has been edited by fletcherwind: Dec 19 2012, 09:41 PM

Wow, did not expect to see a thread for research analysts here...

Anyway, in response to KH Tang's original question, 4k seems a little high...it's hard for a RA to command a premium...the bargaining power will come once you have sector specialisation...

Thanks Mr fletcherwind for the insight.

Quite hard considering the market is in a surplus now after a few M&As.