Mia Nagasaka
Morgan Stanley MUFG Securities Co.
Mia Nagasaka, who spent the past three years in the runner-up spot, jumps to second place. “She is familiar with overseas trends and provides frequent updates on the topic,” observes one portfolio manager. The Morgan Stanley MUFG Securities Co. analyst estimates that Asia, including Japan, now accounts for more than half of the global mobile-games market, with recent gains driven primarily by two companies: DeNA Co. and Gree, both of which are headquartered in Tokyo. She believes they will continue to dominate as gamers choose smartphones over consoles. “Given that the game and entertainment sector is getting more fragmented, we believe that attractive content power, ability to adapt to different platforms, overseas strategies, and investment efficiency are vital for stocks to perform strongly in the coming year,” Nagasaka explains. — Pam Baker