Huaxiang (Edward) Xu & team
Morgan Stanley
Advancing from third place to second is the Morgan Stanley quartet conducted by Hong Kong–based Huaxiang (Edward) Xu, pilot also of a runner-up team in Infrastructure. The analysts, who publish research on 47 stocks, “provide data points that clearly explain the logic behind their calls,” insists one advocate. The team is neutral to cautious on air cargo and shipping stocks, Xu says, arguing that overcapacity “suggests pressures on freight rates even if demand recovers” in the second half of the year. He and his colleagues are upbeat on passenger travel, however. “We prefer carriers with large China domestic exposure or intra-Asia exposure versus global premium exposure,” he says. Domestic Chinese and regional carriers enjoy more stable market demand and higher growth potential, he contends. — Paul Sweeney