NEW YORK, Jan. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MER)
today said that it will expand to 13 countries its trial program allowing
access to its award-winning global research over the internet. The company's
research will be available to anyone in the following countries with internet
access: Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Germany,
Hong Kong, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, U.K. and Venezuela.
The URL for the free research trial is: http://askmerrill.com.
The Merrill Lynch OnLine International (MLOLI) free Research Trial,
developed in partnership with Multex Systems, Inc., will give registered users
access to:
-- Research reports on specific non-US and US companies, featuring analyst
opinions, earnings estimates and more.
-- Global economic analysis and investment strategy recommendations.
-- An at-a-glance listing of the latest research reports from Merrill
Lynch analysts.
-- A Research Tracker feature that automatically displays reports for as
many as ten companies specified by the user.
Winthrop H. Smith, Jr., Chairman of Merrill Lynch International, said:
"This expanded free research trial is a way of acknowledging the importance of
the Internet to our clients worldwide. Since it was launched in the US on
November 2, 1998, more than 100,000 registrants have signed up for access to
Merrill Lynch research, and we are now very pleased to offer it to a global
audience. The internet is more than just a convenience. Increasingly, it's
becoming a vital link between Merrill Lynch, our Relationship Managers, and
our clients. Strategic insights and timely recommendations from our research
group, coupled with the personalized service of a Merrill Lynch relationship
manager, are the keys to making well-informed investment decisions."
The expanded trial begins immediately and will run at least until
February 28, when the program will be reviewed for possible continuation.
In its ongoing effort to create a full-service relationship for the
21st century, Merrill Lynch is the first financial management and advisory
company to make such detailed research available for free to online users.
Those who take advantage of the trial will have access to Merrill Lynch's
Global Securities Research and Economics Group, with over 700 analysts in
27 countries. Merrill Lynch is the only firm to rank in the top three in all
of Institutional Investor's research surveys of the U.S., Europe, Asia, Japan
and Latin America. In addition, the firm ranked first in The Wall Street
Journal 1998 All-Star Analysts Survey, and The London Financial News "Poll of
Polls," a summary of nine equity research surveys from around the world.
In addition to being directly accessible to users at
http://askmerrill.com, the Merrill Lynch free research trial will also be
available through many major internet portals.
The free research trial is being offered in 13 countries where local
regulations permit. The firm said that additional regulatory reviews could
result in access to Merrill Lynch research information for users in other
countries. Any residents in countries not included may obtain additional
information from one of the firm's international offices.
Merrill Lynch is one of the world's leading financial management and
advisory companies with offices in more than 40 countries and total client
assets exceeding $1.4 trillion. As an investment bank, it is the top global
underwriter and market maker of debt and equity securities and a leading
strategic advisor to corporations, governments, institutions, and individuals
worldwide. Through Merrill Lynch Asset Management and Merrill Lynch Mercury
Asset Management, the company is one of the world's largest managers of
financial assets with assets under management exceeding $500 billion.
Multex Systems, Inc. is a leading provider of online investment research
and information services designed to meet the needs of institutional
investors, investment banks, brokerage firms, corporations and individual
investors. The Company's services enable timely online access to over
700,000 research reports and other investment information from more than
350 leading investment banks, brokerage firms, and third-party research
providers worldwide. Coverage includes research on over 18,000 companies in
over 85 countries. More than 400,000 investors and financial professionals,
including mutual funds managers, portfolio managers, institutional investors,
brokers and their clients, have access to Multex's services.
SOURCE Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.
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Related links:
http://askmerrill.com
Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/555800.html or fax,
800-758-5804, ext. 555800
CONTACT:
Media Relations - Bobbie Collins of Merrill
Lynch & Co., Inc., 212-449-7282, bcollins@exchange.ml.com
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