Nur Cristiani & team J.P. Morgan First-place appearances: 1

Total appearances: 16

Team debut: 1993 J.P. Morgan’s Mexico City–based trio under the guidance of Nur Cristiani notches its fourth consecutive third-place finish on this roster. The researchers’ “Mexico 101” annual handbook elicits investor praise for providing “a comprehensive glimpse on the country as a whole,” as one reader reports. Cristiani says that although her team likes the long-term market potential for Mexico, it is more cautious on the country’s near-term prospects. “We are keen on upside to potential [gross domestic product] growth from the structural reforms approved last year but are concerned about what seems to be overoptimism from consensus regarding earnings growth estimates for this year, given how much the economy is expected to grow,” she explains. Specific subsectors may offer more immediate promise, the team leader adds, pointing to the construction industry. The analysts’ top pick in that market is Nuevo León–based Cemex, the world’s third-largest cement producer, thanks to the company’s exposure to the increasing deployment of government infrastructure investment in Mexico, she notes.