Carlos de Alba & team Morgan Stanley First-place appearances: 5

Total appearances: 20

Team debut: 1995 It’s five consecutive years at No. 2 for Morgan Stanley. New York–based Carlos de Alba works with colleagues in Mexico City and São Paulo in covering 19 Latin American metals and mining stocks with what one portfolio manager describes as “great depth of industry knowledge and understanding of the sector dynamics.” Boosters hail the squad’s July 2013 upgrade of Brazilian steel giant Usinas Siderúrgicas de Minas Gerais from equal weight to overweight. The researchers cited rising prices and reduced global capacity, and sure enough, the stock took off. By January, Usinas had soared 38.3 percent, bolting to 12.45 reais and besting its regional peers by 37.5 percentage points. That prompted the team to downgraded the shares to equal weight, largely on valuation. By late July the manufacturer’s stock had plunged 36.5 percent, to close at 7.90 reais. Over the same period the sector inched up 1.4 percent.