ABSTRACT
By enlisting the contributions of institutional sociology, economic sociology and professional sociology, this chapter proposes to analyse the social measures – relational structuring, symbolic and cognitive systems – implemented within financial intermediation that seek to institute the financial analyst as a professional guarantor for the informational efficiency of markets, and to control the development of his/her judgements. The analyst profession progressively moved towards obtaining legal recognition. Various financial measures guide the analyst's work by building likenesses, through gathering, polarising and thus excluding, and then comparing. Much like stock market prices, the opinion of diverse financial analysts concerning a given stock is publicly and almost immediately broadcast under the label of the 'analysts' consensus'. The consensus is equally proven to be a reference point in the sense that the analyst must know how to position himself in relation to the consensus. Judgements made by financial analysts take place at the very centre of the market, in direct contact with other actors.
