Javier Finkman, Francisco Schumacher
& team
HSBC
First-place appearances: 0

Total appearances: 3

Team debut: 1993

Rising from runner-up to third place is HSBC. Javier Finkman in Buenos Aires shares leadership responsibilities this year with New York–based Francisco Schumacher, who joined the firm in January from Deutsche Bank Securities. “HSBC has hired several top experts on Latin America — you can see that it’s making a big commitment to covering Argentina,” notes one investor. “They’ve become a leading franchise in the region.” Covering six stocks, two more than last year, the crew is recommending “off-index companies based in Argentina but with a more regional footprint,” Schumacher explains. One example: U.S.-based online auctioneer eBay’s Latin American partner, Buenos Aires–based MercadoLibre. The analysts dubbed the company a top pick in September, at $82.08 per American depositary receipt, on its aggressive expansion strategy, hefty cash reserves and lack of debt. By mid-July the ADRs had soared 38.1 percent, to $113.39, and bested the broad market by 18.3 percentage points. — Paul Sweeney