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Melvyn Boey
& team
Bank of America
Merrill Lynch
"They make good calls."
Known for “quick responses and new ideas,” as one portfolio manager puts it, the ten-strong Bank of America Merrill Lynch squad guided by Singapore-based Melvyn Boey repeats atop the lineup. Boey, 40, also leads the team that ranks third for coverage of Malaysia and co-captains, with Billy Ng, the No. 1 crew in Conglomerates. With a coverage universe of some 50 stocks, the group earns high marks for “contrarian, nonconsensus views,” in the words of another buy-side backer. In September the analysts restated their long-standing buy on Ezion Holdings, at 1.11 Singapore dollars, citing the marine logistics and offshore-services provider’s fleet-expansion plans and earnings visibility from secured contracts. (They have rated the stock a buy since May 2010, at S$0.70.) The share price had sailed to S$2.04 by the end of April, for a stunning 83.8 percent advance since the reiteration that left the Singapore broad market’s 11.6 percent gain in its wake. Ezion remains recommended. Another favorite going forward is palm-oil producer First Resources, which Boey dubs a “low-cost producer with respectable production growth.” — Ben Mattlin