< The 2014 All-China Research TeamXiaopo WeiCLSAFirst-place appearances: 0

Total appearances: 5

Analyst debut: 2010CLSA’s Xiaopo Wei rises from runner-up to recapture the No. 2 position on this lineup that she most recently held in 2012. She also advances from runner-up to claim third place on the Consumer/Discretionary list. From her post in Hong Kong, the researcher monitors seven Chinese nondiscretionary consumer names, including hypermarket operator Sun Art Retail Group. Concerns over Sun Art’s high exposure to nonfood categories, which are “very vulnerable to e-commerce impact,” according to Wei, prompted the analyst at the end of last December to recommend that clients sell the stock. Good call: The Shanghai-based company’s shares fell 20.1 percent, to HK$8.49, year to date through late November, underperforming the sector by 1.1 percentage points and the domestic broad market by 15.1 percentage points. Another warning sign that Wei brought to investors’ attention was Sun Art management’s aggressive push for a high gross margin amid negative same-store sales. Looking ahead to the coming year, Wei maintains a neutral view on the sector, but she does advise buying China Mengniu Dairy Co., the country’s second-largest milk producer, by sales volume. The Hong Kong–based producer is attractive “given eased raw milk prices in China, accelerated growth of its new product categories and improved channel inventories,” she explains.