Alonso Cervera, Nilson Teixeira & team Credit Suisse
After two years in the runner-up position, the five-member Credit Suisse crew leaps to second place. The group is piloted by Alonso Cervera, who works out of Mexico City, and São Paulo–based Nilson Teixeira. Each also co-leads a runner-up squad — Cervera, for coverage of Mexico; Teixeira, Brazil. “I really like the Credit Suisse team,” declares one money manager, because the researchers “go deep in the economic themes, which generates trust and confidence in their recommendations.” The analysts’ outlook for the region is mixed. “We are particularly upbeat about Mexico, where we think [real gross domestic product] growth can stay above 4 percent even with U.S. growth near 2 percent,” says Cervera. “At the opposite end of the spectrum, we remain concerned about Venezuela and Argentina, where imbalances continue to build up.” As for the region’s dominant economy, “Brazil needs to post a significant expansion in investments and in industrial production next year for the GDP growth to go back to its recent average expansion of above 4 percent a year,” Teixeira explains. “These key variables we will monitor in Brazil.” — Thomas W. Johnson