Spear, Leeds & Kellogg has hired Ryan Bloom from J.P. Morgan Securities, where he was a high-yield analyst covering the food and paper and packaging industries. Bloom declined comment, as did Doug Conn, head of high-yield research at J.P. Morgan.
Spear, Leads has also added Jeff Higgins to its high-yield trading desk. Higgins was a high-yield trader at J.P. Morgan, but was released last summer (BW, 7/28). He declined comment. Gary Goldring, senior managing director at Spear, Leeds, referred calls to Kate Baum, a spokesman for the firm at Goldman Sachs, its parent. She did not return calls by press time last Thursday.