Research Paper on:
Profile of Merrill Lynch

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
& Co., Inc. is one that is known on being "bullish on America." Although the company is being impacted, like so many firms are, by a sluggish economy, and although  Merrill Lynch has lately received some poor publicity about biased recommendations, the company still has brand recognition and a solid standing within investment circles. Even though people thanked Paine Webber,  the company was still acquired by USB; and E.F. Hutton doesnt even exist as a separate entity any more. Merrill Lynch, however, is still Merrill Lynch, and if its executives  have their way, will stay Merrill Lynch for as long as possible. "The street is slippery," notes web site Hoovers in its coverage of the brokerage firm, "but the bull  charges on" (Hoover Company Profiles, 2002). If the company plays its cards right, it could find that being bullish on America could have its advantages.  Like many investment banks and brokerage firms located in the heart of New York Citys financial district, Merrill Lynch has suffered in the wake of the September  11, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Towers (Hoover Company Profiles, 2002). During the last quarter of 2001, the firm took its first quarterly loss since 1998 of $1.26  billion (Hoover Company Profiles, 2002). For the entire year 2001, the firms net income took an 8.5 percent plunge to $573 million, the companys lowest total in 11 years (Hoover  Company Profiles, 2002). In addition, Merrill was slow getting onto the Internet, instead relying on the theme that investors needed skilled human guidance and face-to-face interaction (Hoover Company Profiles, 2002).  The company added Internet investment services under pressure from e-competitors such as Schwab and E*Trade (Hoover Company Profiles, 2002). Merrills Private Client