Morgan Stanley merges research departments

Morgan Stanley just merged its fixed-income and equity research departments into a single group. Although the 
mortgage research group will remain within the fixed-Income division and would still focus on securitized products such as MBS, CMOs, mortgage ABS, mortgage credit, and MBS and ABS credit derivatives, it will be integrated into trading, allowing analysts to advise clients and trading desks on proprietary strategies. As a result, Morgan Stanley analysts will stop publishing securities recommendations as well as their weekly MBS Perspectives. But they will still continue to publish their data packages, product primers and handbooks, as well as prepayment updates in the form of trading commentaries.