Sell-side analysts regaining their stature?

We're a far cry from the days of Henry Blodgett and Mary Meeker, the one-time king and queen of the Net. But some have noted that sell-side analysts, far from being passe, are reasserting themselves as prime market forces. The two most-talked about examples are Meredith Whitney's pronouncements on Citigroup, and secondarily other banks, and Citigroup's Prashant Bhatia, who suggested that E*Trade's problems might force it into a firesale of assets and even a bankruptcy protection filing. This may reflect the extreme uncertainty about financial stocks. But it's clear that sell-side analysts never faded away the way many thought they would. Internally, however, you still get the feeling their stature has been reduced.  

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