Jasmine Lu & team

Morgan Stanley

First-Place Appearances: 1 Total Appearances: 9 Team Debut: 2001

After 12 years, Morgan Stanley’s squad recaptures the top spot on this list, rising all the way from runner-up under the guidance of Taipei-based Jasmine Lu, who debuted as the group’s captain last year. The 11 analysts, working out of Hong Kong and Taipei, actively follow more than 80 Taiwanese stocks and are expanding their coverage of small- and midcap companies, Lu says. “Jasmine is a good leader of an experienced team that has seen many cycles,” asserts one advocate. “They have a stable research footprint, and investors should never miss any of their insights.” The researchers in December identified a few technology names whose low valuations, healthy operating cash flows and strong balance sheets justified the highlighting of their existing overweight ratings. Catcher Technology Co. is a Tainan-based supplier of computer components; Quanta Computer, which is headquartered in Taoyuan, manufactures portable computers and peripherals; and Tripod Technology Corp. produces printed circuit boards and is also based in Taoyuan. Through late April the shares had respectively advanced by 41.7 percent, to 256.50 New Taiwan dollars; 19.8 percent, to NT$78; and 13.1 percent, to NT$56.80. Over the same period, Taiwan’s broad market gained 5.7 percent. The Morgan Stanley crew expects all three names to continue to outperform. Lu, 40, also directs a team that rises from third place to second in Technology/Hardware. She joined the firm in May 2003 from UBS, where she followed computer hardware companies. She holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Taiwan’s National Chengchi University and an MBA from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.