. According to Standards I(B)–Independence and Objectivity and V(A)–Diligence and Reasonable Basis, members and candidates must exercise diligence, independence, objectivity, and thoroughness in analyzing investments, making investment recommen- dations, and taking investment actions. Changing a written recommendation to what a subject company desires is not acting diligently, independently, objectively, and/or thoroughly, and the analyst should immediately revise her recommendation to express her stated opinion of the company.
Changing a written recommendation to what a subject company desires is not acting diligently, independently, objectively, and/or thoroughly.

LeCompte violated Requirement 6, Relationships with Subject Companies, by sharing the full research report with NanoMem. Sharing any section of a research report that might communicate the analyst’s proposed recommendation, rating, or price target is prohibited by the Research Objectivity Standards. Sharing historical factual information, on the other hand, is not a violation.
LeCompte shared with UniFlash management only the part of her report on UniFlash that provides factual information.

. LeCompte provided all the recommended disclosures relating to potential conflicts of interest with respect to UniFlash. In addition to her small equity position in NanoMem and the firm’s market making role for NanoMem shares, LeCompte should have also disclosed the “benefit received” from NanoMem concerning the trip she took as required by Standard 2, Public Appearances. In addition, if news of the secondary offering of NanoMem had already been made public, she should have also disclosed the fact that Topaz had been appointed the lead underwriter.
LeCompte only provided recommended disclosures relating to potential conflicts of interest with respect to UniFlash.

. Betta has taken the correct approach in using actual coupon bonds for Bay Corp and estimating implied zero-coupon bonds. Because the bonds rank equally, there is no need to adjust for differences in priority in case of default. In practice, bond prices will be affected by liquidity, and investors expect additional spread or a liquidity premium to compensate for less liquid corporate bonds relative to sovereign bonds.
because there is a need to convert coupon bonds to implied zero-coupon bonds to infer the spread.
because no adjustment is necessary for differences in priority since all the bonds in this case rank equally.

Initial market reaction is an important barometer for the value investors place on the gains from merging as well as an indication of future returns.
A spin-off does not generate cash for the parent company.
The more of the merger that is paid for by stock, the more that the risks and benefits of realizing these synergies (assuming they really exist) will be passed on to the target shareholders—hence a lower benefit will result if more stock is used.