Ben Laidler & team J.P. Morgan
Down one notch to second place, after two years on top, is the J.P. Morgan contingent captained by New York–based Ben Laidler. “The thing I find most useful about J.P. Morgan’s approach is the way the analysts blend local, ‘on-the-ground’ knowledge without losing their global perspective,” explains one buy-side supporter. Adds another: “They have a broad universe of coverage and reasonable criteria for evaluating Latam companies.” Laidler left the firm in July for HSBC, where he will oversee equity and fixed-income research for the Americas. — Thomas W. Johnson