Bilingual stock analysts in great demand amid China’s bull market

The Shanghai Composite has more than doubled over the past 12 months, making China the best performing market in the world and drawing the attention of fund managers everywhere. China’s stock trading fever is spreading to Hong Kong’s job market, as banks and brokers scramble to sign up analysts capable of bridging the gap between China and the global investment community.

上证综指在过去12个月间上涨逾一倍，使中国成为全球表现最佳的市场，吸引了世界各地基金经理的注意。各银行和券商竞相招聘能够弥合中国和全球投资界之间鸿沟的分析师。

Though some investment banks — such as UBS and Goldman Sachs — have long operated joint-ventures that produce both Chinese and English-language research, the opening late last year of the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect has prompted many others to rethink the way they cover Asia’s second largest stock market. HSBC is in the middle of hiring 10-15 new analysts to cover Chinese stocks, something William Bratton, the bank’s head of Asia-Pacific equity research, believes could be just the beginning as the dynamics of investing in the region shift further towards China.

尽管瑞银和高盛等投行长期运营提供中英文研究的合资项目，但去年末开通的沪港通促使其它机构重新思考覆盖中国股票市场的方式。汇丰正在招聘10至15名分析师，该行亚太股票研究主管布拉顿认为，随着亚洲的投资重心转向中国，此举可能只是开端。

The Stock Connect — a cross-border share trading link — has given foreign investors access to hundreds of Shanghai-listed stocks without the need for a licence. More shares are set to join the list with the anticipated launch of a similar tie-up between the Hong Kong and Shenzhen stock exchanges later this year.

作为跨境股票交易链接，沪港通使境外投资者能够在不需要申请许可的情况下，买卖数百只上海上市的股票。预计今年晚些时候还将开通连接香港与深圳股市的深港通，让更多股票加入这份清单。

Meanwhile, Chinese brokerages, insurers and asset managers are looking to build their capabilities outside the mainland, creating an extra source of demand for bilingual analysts and bankers with international experience. Huatai Securities recently hired Lu Ting, former China economist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, as head of research, just one of a number of new additions ahead of its planned Hong Kong flotation.

与此同时，中国的券商、保险公司和资产管理公司都希望在境外构建自己的能力，这加大了对双语分析师和具有国际经验的银行家的需求。华泰证券最近聘请美银美林前中国区经济学家陆挺为研究主管，这是该券商在计划中的香港上市之前新招聘的多名人才之一。

The challenge for those looking to hire has been finding the right people. “They want to find someone they can put in front of investors in Boston or San Francisco without losing any of that Chinese expertise,” said Marlon Sanchez, head of Asia prime finance distribution at Deutsche Bank.

招聘机构面临的挑战在于找到合适的人才。德意志银行的亚太地区机构经纪销售负责人桑切斯表示，“招聘机构想找到既能面对波士顿或旧金山的投资者、又不会失去中国专长的人。”