Reena Verma Bhasin
Bank of America Merrill Lynch
First-place appearances: 0

Total appearances: 3

Analyst debut: 2011

Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s Reena Verma Bhasin finishes in third place for a second consecutive year. The analyst is lauded for her “strong understanding of structural trends and ability to analyze the long-term impacts on stocks,” in the words of one fund manager. Bhasin’s outlook for the telecommunications group over the next two to three quarters is positive, “as pricing repair and industry consolidation will help margins,” she says, and improvements to the policy environment will further boost operators. The critical issue to watch going forward, she notes, is renewed competition. “Her long experience in the sector enables her to separate the noise from the real changes in the industry,” praises another supporter. — Carolyn Koo