Nikolaj Lippmann & team Morgan Stanley First-place appearances: 2
Total appearances: 9
Team debut: 1994 Nikolaj Lippmann and his Morgan Stanley teammate slip from first place after two years to claim the No. 2 spot the firm won in 2011. The analysts report on 12 Mexican companies and expect that number to increase this year as the country’s capital markets continue to grow. With an eye toward that expansion, the Mexico City–based duo is recommending that investors buy Mexican equities. “We think Mexican policymakers have the potential to transform the energy sector and the economy,” Lippmann says. “This is exciting precisely because it is so needed.” One caveat, he notes, is that earnings-per-share recovery could take longer than the market expects. In that instance, he and his colleague advise investors to find a low-risk, high-dividend play, such as Macquarie Mexican REIT, a Mexico City–based real estate investment trust that focuses on industrial, office and retail properties. “I like the depth he reaches in his investment recommendations,” says one fan of the team leader’s. “Besides doing strategy, he also covers companies on a stand-alone basis.” Lippmann this year also leads a runner-up team in Cement & Construction.