When writing a research report, the most important question is not what am I writing about, but for whom am I writing this study and what specific question do I want to answer for the reader. To ensure that I have this goal in mind right from the start when designing my report, intensive contact with clients is just as important as having the right nose for research.
For us, analysis is more than just reproducing and classifying "boring figures". Interesting titles and puns can help win the attention of our clients, who are bombarded with figures and information during the reporting season. Examples: 1.) "Apple hits your ears with a treat" (Introduction of the "AirPod Max" headphones) or 2.) "Blood pressure is rising at Novartis" (Flash on the expiry of the patent for the blood pressure drug DIOVAN).
Research cannot be carried out from an ivory tower. Discussions with colleagues from many different areas help me a lot, especially when creating the overall market strategy, which is made up of many individual parts like a mosaic. Feedback from clients also enables me to optimise the presentation of the strategy. Here, for once, too many cooks do not spoil the broth.
You need at least one good idea to write a study or draw up a presentation. Sometimes it helps to look out the window for a while or to let your mind wander while taking a walk in the evening. What helps me most is exchanging thoughts with colleagues and having some peace and quiet after the research to write the ideas down clearly.
We have repeatedly initiated studies and projects in our team, which mainly came about through valuable suggestions from our clients. Such input often makes it even clearer to a researcher as to what content is of interest or how the presentation can be optimised. Furthermore, a 'product' that has been developed through exchange with the client ensures that we as researchers are on the right track with our services.
I often get the best ideas for an interesting study or even for structuring or evaluating a topic when I jog through the fields on the outskirts of Wiesbaden or through the spa gardens. Jogging clears my head and provides me with new impulses and ideas. But sometimes a good espresso with a piece of chocolate also helps to boost my spirits.
Experience, creativity and an appealing presentation of the results are what count for me when it comes to analyses. I love juggling figures and diagrams in complicated Excel sheets and an IT landscape that is always evolving. On an office day, going to the cafeteria with colleagues and coming back with a latte macchiato can be quite inspiring for me.
Describing DZ BANK Research as classic "research" does not quite capture the essence of our work; it is more a recurring process of exploring and searching. The object of our research, the capital markets, is subject to constant change, and so too are the topic areas and approaches to analysis. In short: research is like chess, only WITH dice.
Despite years of experience, my pulse rises and adrenaline flows through my body. A hundred pairs of eyes, or even just one, may be looking right at me, often at an international level. I feel a sense of joy after the presentation, but it is also a shame that the event is then already over. It is exciting when you enter into direct exchange with the market participants. That helps immensely in putting together the puzzle of the financial market.
Having the Taunus mountains on your doorstep makes it possible to escape from everyday office life for a while. The almost 900m high Feldberg can be reached by bike in just over an hour. The landscape and often also the weather form a sharp contrast to the metropolis Frankfurt. Along the way, a lot of my texts are written here in broad strokes. The long ascents at a pace slowed down by gravity have proven to be particularly productive.
