Wai Kee Choong & team Nomura
In third place for a second straight year is the ten-strong Nomura team under Wai Kee Choong, who also oversees a runner-up team in Gaming & Lodging. Based in Kuala Lumpur, the analysts monitor 40 stocks and are in the process of adding analysts to expand coverage. In April 2011, after the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI index had surged 16.8 percent in the preceding 12 months, they declared the local market pricey and turned cautious, citing potential preelection tumult. The benchmark seesawed and had advanced just 2.5 percent by the end of March. “They were the first to sound a warning — and it was a brave, contrarian call,” insists a stalwart. The team remains circumspect but recommends bargain stocks with rapid growth potential, one example being Petaling Jaya–based wireless phone service provider DiGi.Com. — Ben Mattlin