The 2013 All-China Research Team: Industrials, Second: Xiang (Edmond) Huang

Although Xiang (Edmond) Huang of Bank of America Merrill Lynch slips to second place, “he’s always quick with information and provides top-notch client service,” cheers one fund manager. Huang is advising clients to “stick with stocks with improving demand-supply [dynamics] and good managements,” he says, because the economy overall “remains fragile.” A preferred name in his 35-company sector portfolio is Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technology Co., an Urumqi-based manufacturer of wind-power generators. Huang upgraded the stock from underperform to buy in February, anticipating an uptick in wind-turbine sales and crediting Xinjiang Goldwind’s already dominant market share. Furthermore, the company’s backlog of orders was strong, he noted. By the end of October, the shares had soared 89 percent, to HK$7.92, trouncing the sector by 94 percentage points. “Edmond has a differentiated view,” another advocate contends, “and his nonconsensus calls helped us make money.” — Ben Mattlin