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Leslie Alperstein guides the ten-member team at Washington Analysis to a third straight year at No. 3. “I like their analysis of macropolitical trends and taxes, and keeping up with the ‘word on the Street,’ but mostly I use them for their finance, banking and housing work — where I think they’re really strong,” says one backer. Case in point: The Washington-based analysts told clients that Chicago-based exchange operator CME Group is a likely beneficiary of the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which calls for greater transparency and accountability in derivatives trading. “While price transparency will reduce spreads, we see CME benefiting from significant new trading volume,” Alperstein explains. Plus, “the regulatory shift toward central clearing is occurring globally and will continue regardless of the outcome of the November elections.” Another beneficiary of Washington’s regulatory regime: Charlotte, North Carolina–based engineering and construction giant Babcock & Wilcox Co., which is poised to take advantage of “a wave of new, aggressive [Environmental Protection Agency] regulations that will require significant retrofitting at the nation’s coal-fired power plants,” he adds. RUNNER(S)-UP Daniel Clifton & team Strategas Research Partners |
Economics & Strategy – Washington Research: Third