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Tak Hung (Eric) Lau
& team
Citi
"We can make money on taking his advice in the sector."
Citi’s squad of seven, piloted by Hong Kong–based Tak Hung (Eric) Lau, wins top honors for a fifth straight year. “His stock picks are the best among brokers’, and he manages to highlight the implications of macroeconomic changes on various small to midcaps,” avers one client. Covering some 90 companies from offices in Hong Kong, Mumbai, Seoul, Singapore and Taipei, the analysts are cautiously optimistic owing to global economic uncertainty. Exporters to Europe will face headwinds from that region’s ongoing recession, the 42-year-old leader says, but Asia’s small companies could benefit from economic upturns in China and the U.S. The team’s recommendations for the year include three Hong Kong–based outfits: China State Construction International Holdings (the shares were trading at HK$11.30 in late April, and the researchers have a target price of HK$13.30); Techtronic Industries Co., a manufacturer of power tools and accessories (shares ended April at HK$18.54; target price, HK$22); and VTech Holdings, a maker of consumer electronics and cordless phones (late April price, HK$99; target, HK$106). — Leslie Kramer