Ivan Kim
VTB Capital
Debuting in second place is VTB Capital’s Ivan Kim, who joined the firm from Renaissance Capital in August. Praised for his “strong local knowledge and underappreciated expertise,” as one asset manager puts it, Kim relaunched coverage on Moscow-based wireless carrier Mobile TeleSystems in September, initiating with a buy on the American depositary receipts, at $16.54, largely on rising smartphone penetration. By late May the ADRs had jumped 16.5 percent, to $19.27, and led the sector by 15.4 percentage points. Kim remains bullish, but going forward he especially likes the company’s domestic shares, which he says are even more undervalued. “The local stock currently trades at 17 percent to the ADRs,” says Kim, who tracks five Russian telecommunications companies. — Ben Mattlin