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| Michel Morin & team | | Morgan Stanley | | First-place appearances: 2 Total appearances: 16 Team debut: 1995 | New York–based Michel Morin, who was appointed team leader last year, shepherds the Morgan Stanley trio from No. 3 to No. 1. This is the firm’s first appearance on top since 1999, when Media and Telecommunications were separate sectors; Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, as it was known at the time, was No. 1 in the latter. (The sectors were merged, and Technology added, in 2009.) “Last year the call that stood out the most was definitely the underweight on Oi — they really caught that one,” marvels one client. The team reiterated its underweight rating on the Brazil-based telecommunications services provider in December 2012, at $3.50 per American depositary receipt, on concerns about rising debt, slowing growth and the company’s ability to hit its financial targets. In January 2013, Oi announced the departure of chief executive officer Francisco Valim, and the following month released fiscal 2012 results showing that net revenue had inched up only 0.8 percent, to 28.14 billion reais ($12.45 billion). By mid-July the ADRs had plummeted 58.3 percent, to $1.46, and trailed the broad market by 46.3 percentage points. Morin, 43, earned a bachelor’s degree in commerce at Canada’s University of Ottawa. He worked at Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Barclays before moving to Morgan Stanley in 2011, covering these industries on behalf of each firm. “He is an incredibly talented analyst,” says another fan. — Pam Baker |