Former Merrill Lynch & Co. chief economist Donald Straszheim has joined Newport Beach-based Roth Capital Partners LLC as vice chairman.
Straszheim joins Roth from Straszheim Global Advisors, a Los Angeles-based financial research firm he founded in 2002 with a strong focus on China.
He said he expects to continue his focus on China at Roth, an investment bank focused on smaller companies.
“Small firms, Roth’s recognized strength, are the most important economic dynamic in China,” Straszheim said. “I am looking forward to bringing these opportunities to the attention of U.S. investors.”
Straszheim, known for his commentaries on China and the Federal Reserve, will work with Byron Roth, the investment bank’s chairman and chief executive.
He’s expected to help build a team of researchers focused on Asia at Roth. The group’s China research team will be at Roth’s Los Angeles office and in China, where the firm plans to open an office.
Straszheim served as chief economist for Merrill Lynch & Co. from 1985 to 1997, where he guided global economic research.
He left Merrill Lynch in 1997 to become president of the Milken Institute, a think tank in Santa Monica he ran until 2001.
