On Tuesday, October 20, Extel publishes the 2026 All-America Research Team, now in its 55th year. Refined over more than half a century, the survey gives firms, teams, and investors a historical record against which to measure performance over time.  Importantly, instead of extrapolation and inferences using incomplete data (typically seen with substandard research), Extel gets direct qualitative feedback from investors.

This year's electorate is more concentrated at the top commission bands (commission paid to The Street) and are up almost 10%, while the lowest commission bands 6 and 7 fell from 1,150 firms to 1,062 as Extel deliberately reduced reliance on the least engaged voters. This meant overall participation totals 1,608, down from 1,705 last year. 

Esther Weisz, Global Head of Sales for Extel, said: "In 2026 we've seen increased representation among leading investment firms and a greater concentration of votes within the highest engagement bands. The outcome is a dataset that reflects the views of the most influential investors, those with significant capital allocation decisions. It remains the broadest and deepest evaluation of sell-side research performance, drawing feedback from thousands of buy-side professionals across a diverse range of investment strategies, sectors, and firm sizes."

Also on October 20, Extel will also publish the data and editorial for the 2026 Hall of Fame inductees (analysts with 10 or more years at #1) and the Rising Stars (analysts with their first #1 placement).

The rest of the North America schedule reads:

2026 All-Canada Research Team (Oct 22)
2026 All-America Trading Team (Oct 28)
2026 America's Top Sales Teams and Top Corporate Access Providers (Oct 29)
2026 All-America Executive Team (Nov 3)
2026 All-Canada Executive Team (Nov 17)
2026 America's Top Asset Management Firms (Nov 24).