In less than two years, the investment research team of Philippine National Bank has made itself indispensable to the country’s rich who want data and information about popular stocks, sectors and the economy.
Led by Alvin Joseph Arogo, vice president and head of research, PNB focuses on two key sets of research: one is the economic data, the other is a group of 63 publicly listed companies on the Philippine Stock Exchange. PNB covers a larger number of Philippine stocks than the majority of its peers in the country.
Between April 2020 and March 2021, the bank’s research division published 178 reports covering economic and equity research, providing its wealth management clients with up-to-date investment ideas.
That was no easy feat, given the level of detail the PNB team goes into for its reports. For example, if the investment research unit changes a buy/sell stock recommendation, it publishes a detailed report on its analysis, including the financial modelling – a rarity for a local bank research team.
That thorough scrutiny also helps PNB’s investment banking team, which relies heavily on the wealth group to promote IPOs to retail clients.