< The 2014 All-Europe Research Team

Antoine Belge, Erwan Rambourg & team
HSBC
First-place appearances: 0

Total appearances: 7

Team debut: 2007

Antoine Belge in Paris and Erwan Rambourg in Hong Kong together steer HSBC’s troupe back up to No. 3 after a year at runner-up. The analysts follow 22 companies, and their advice to clients is optimistic. “Hang in there, fear not — 2014 should be a strong year for many stocks in the sector as end demand remains buoyant,” says Rambourg. They continue to tout U.K.-based Burberry Group, in part because the iconic luxury fashion company is “the only digitally relevant brand for the young generation,” he explains. Moreover, Rambourg contends, “concerns about management changes are overblown.” CEO Angela Ahrendts announced in October that she was jumping ship for U.S. technology giant Apple as of the new year, and Burberry’s board appointed chief creative officer Christopher Bailey to replace her. Elevated from neutral to overweight in July, the stock by year’s end had leaped 13.4 percent, to 1,516 pence, trumping the broad market by 7.5 percentage points. The team leaders “came out of the luxury sector, which gives them a differentiated view,” says one London-based fund manager, who adds that they are “ideally located to cover this sector.”

See also Antoine Belge and Erwan Rambourg's profile in the 2012 All-Europe Research Team.