Vanessa Quiroga, Guilherme Rocha & team Credit Suisse
Credit Suisse, unranked last year, reclaims the No. 2 spot it held from 2007 through 2010. Vanessa Quiroga, who works out of Mexico City, and São Paulo–based newcomer Guilherme Rocha guide this seven-member squad as well as the troop that ranks third in Real Estate. The analysts report on 28 companies and earn praise for a series of recent nondeal road shows in Europe and the U.S. “They have tremendous knowledge and corporate contacts,” cheers one attendee. The team relaunched coverage of Mexico’s Mexichem in December 2010 with an outperform, at 41.57 pesos, primarily on valuation. A specialty-chemicals provider that serves the construction market, Mexichem had recently acquired fluorocarbon plants in Asia — evidence of management’s expansion plans, the analysts argued. The stock shot up 40.8 percent, to N$58.52, and bested the sector by 60.3 percentage points, through mid-July. It remains one of the team’s top picks. — Ben Mattlin