RJ and Makay

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney has developed a research platform that can track which research reports financial advisors read, according to Reuters news service. By next year, the brokerage also expects to see analyst reports actually generate trading business by clients.

The new system could create more user-friendly research reports as the firm learns what gets the most clicks, said Jonathan Cohn of management consulting firm Oliver Wyman. Conversely, the firm will also see which authors and subjects received less interest from advisers.