The 2013 All-China Research Team: Consumer/Discretionary, Second: Bing Qian

Bing Qian debuts on this roster in second place. The China International Capital Corp. analyst, who works out of Beijing, also logs his first appearance in Consumer/Nondiscretionary at No. 2. Qian earns praise for “continuously updating sector developments,” as one portfolio manager puts it, and provides “quick responses for industry changes,” the client adds. Chinese consumer discretionary shares declined 5.9 percent year to date into early May, trailing the broad market by 2.3 percentage points. But the nation’s retailing subsector was faring even worse, having sunk 21.3 percent. Against that backdrop, Qian advised investors to buy Beijing-based Intime Retail (Group) Co., a retailer that operates nearly 40 department stores and shopping malls nationwide, including properties in a dozen major Chinese cities. Qian cited Intime’s segment-leading same-store sales expansion and optimal store portfolio. The shares, which had so far been flat in 2013, climbed 3 percent, to HK$9.23, through October. Although that gain trailed the broader sector by 6.4 percentage points, it bested Intime’s retailing peers by 10 percentage points. — Katie Gilbert