ENACTING OVERLAPPING MARKETS

Abstract

During the last two decades, the financial sector has been characterized by dramatic growth as well as increased specialization and professionalization. Today, a host of more or less clearly delimited professional groups enact the machinery of the financial markets. The concerted work performed by these groups does not, however, presuppose that they share a similar view of the markets they enact. Employing the notion of boundary object, this article explores how two specific groups of market professionals, traders and analysts, construct the identities of shares. Differences in the two groups' respective versions of these objects are also found to contribute to the enactment of different, yet overlapping versions of markets.

Keywords:

• traders
• analysts
• construction of identity
• boundary object
• financial markets

Notes

1. 1987, directed by Oliver Stone.

2. Courtage is the charge taken for using the investment bank as a mediator of transactions in the market.