Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is a global financial services firm headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1935 by Henry S. Morgan and Harold Stanley, the company provides a broad range of investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services to corporations, governments, institutions and individual investors. Leadership has been guided by a senior executive team and board of directors; James P. Gorman has served as the company's chief executive and chairman in recent years.
The firm's primary business activities are organized around three principal businesses: Institutional Securities, Wealth Management and Investment Management. Institutional Securities delivers investment banking, capital markets, M&A advisory, and sales and trading across equities, fixed income and commodities. Wealth Management offers financial advisory, brokerage services, financial planning, and portfolio solutions for individual and high-net-worth clients, supported by earlier strategic combinations that expanded its retail and advisory platform. Investment Management encompasses traditional asset management, alternative investments, private markets and investment solutions for institutional and retail clients.
Morgan Stanley operates on a global scale, serving clients across North America, Europe, the Asia-Pacific region and other international markets. The firm has grown both organically and through acquisitions and strategic partnerships, including the 1997 merger with Dean Witter and the creation of a large wealth-management platform through its combination with Smith Barney in 2009; more recent notable transactions have included the acquisitions of E*TRADE and Eaton Vance, which further expanded its retail brokerage and investment-management capabilities. These moves reflect a long-term emphasis on diversifying revenue streams and scaling client-facing businesses.
On a practical level, Morgan Stanley offers services that include underwriting and advisory for corporate finance, trading and market-making, prime brokerage for institutional clients, wealth advisory and custodial services for individual investors, and a range of mutual funds and alternative investment products. The firm positions itself as a full-service financial partner for complex capital markets activity and personalized wealth solutions, operating under regulatory frameworks in the jurisdictions where it conducts business.