< The 2015 All-America Research Team

Total appearances: 1

Analyst debut: 2015

Securing the No. 2 position on this new lineup is Morgan Stanley researcher Fotis Giannakoulis, who “knows and understands the main players in the industry — a valuable tool when trying to navigate these sometimes choppy waters,” one fund manager says. In November, Giannakoulis downgraded Greece’s Navios Maritime Partners from equal weight to underweight, pointing to the negative impact of expiring contracts and the likelihood that management will not be able to sustain the current dividend payout beyond the near term. The dry-bulk commodities cargo transporter’s distribution has so far held steady, but its stock certainly has not. By the middle of last month, the New York–traded issue had shed 41.4 percent of its value, closing at $8.40 and lagging the S&P 500 by 38.4 percentage points. Belgian crude oil tanker operator Euronav is a better choice, the analyst contends. He has recommended that clients overweight the stock since adding it to his coverage universe in February, crediting the high demand for floating storage that low oil prices and oversupply conditions are combining to create. Euronav’s U.S. shares leaped 25.6 percent, to $14.72, through mid-September; during the same period the broad market declined 7.4 percent. Giannakoulis, 40, earned an MBA in finance from Loyola University Chicago in 2002 and a bachelor of science degree in economics from Greece’s University of Piraeus. He was an investment banker at Poten Capital Services and Fortis Bank, where he previously worked as a shipping financier, before joining Morgan Stanley in February 2010.