Specialists for over 45 years

Established in 1962, Jefferies is a major global securities and investment banking group in the U.S., Europe and Asia. We are a top advisor and underwriter with multi-industry expertise. We are a leading provider of securities brokerage services and liquidity with award-winning research and a growing suite of innovative asset management strategies. We believe we embody the now-rare Wall Street culture of a creative, hands-on, client-focused and relationship-driven firm.

Early 2000s - Growth, Diversification & Expansion

The early 2000s are a pivotal time for Jefferies. The Firm continues to diversify and expand its product capabilities and areas of industry expertise. The industry trend of retrenchment and consolidation in investment banking creates a void in the market by swallowing up many firms —fueling our momentum. We invest heavily in our platform, adding valuable talent to our platform, and we focus even more intensely on meeting the needs of our clients.

We leverage our powerful equity, high yield and convertible trading platforms and revamp our research and research sales groups, with a focus on superior analysis, breadth and depth of coverage and providing forward thinking ideas to create value for buy-side clients. We significantly expand our investment banking platform in terms of breadth of industry coverage and full-service product capabilities through a combination of key hires, acquisitions of outstanding specialty firms, and joint ventures with world-class partners. Finally, we diversify and seek to balance our platform with quality asset management teams and vehicles to leverage our relationships.

By 2005, our reputation for our ability to serve companies and their investors in a thoughtful and comprehensive manner has solidified, and we earn the top spot in the "2004 Best Places to Work on Wall Street" survey by Institutional Investor.

1990s - A New Era

The 1990s was a significant period of growth and expansion for our firm, when we began diversifying our trading capabilities and launched our investment banking, research and asset management efforts. Our equity trading platform continues to thrive, maintaining its position as a leading trader and provider of liquidity. We continue to expand our capabilities and geographic reach and by 1999, we have established a solid foundation upon which to continue building. We distinguish ourselves through our knowledge-driven, creative approach and resourceful thinking.

1970s & 1980s - Focus on Small & Mid-cap Securities

Over its first three decades, the Firm flourishes as an equity trading firm, expanding modestly and building on its solid foundation and reputation for client service. We finely hone our expertise as a block trader and distinguish ourselves by our focus on best execution and the ability to provide liquidity for securities. Known for our innovative practices and smart and savvy traders with extensive relationships and a keen understanding of clients' needs and the nuances of the markets, we attract top talent and an impressive client list. We announce our IPO in 1983, and establish our European presence in 1984.

1960s - A Foundation in Block Trading

Our firm began nearly forty-five years ago, in 1962, in true Jefferies fashion, with a solid vision, great determination and an eagerness to fill an unmet need in the marketplace. Institutional investors needed a resource for trading large blocks of stock without impacting the market. They wanted to buy equity securities in size and negotiate prices, while being able to maintain a level of privacy and discretion. Jefferies met that need by leveraging its industry relationships and matching large institutional buyers and sellers naturally, off the exchange, quickly establishing itself as a pioneer of this practice, known as third-market trading, and becoming one of the largest firms in size and trading on the NYSE.