< The 2014 All-America Research TeamGlenn SchorrISI GroupFirst-place appearances: 0

Total appearances: 12

Team debut: 2003Up one position to No. 3 is Glenn Schorr, who jumped to ISI Group from Nomura Securities International in October 2013 and marks his 12th straight appearance on this lineup. “Over the years he has become among the most influential voices in the sector,” attests one fund manager. Schorr is a fan of the asset managers, including those that oversee alternative investments, because central banks around the world are continuing to provide liquidity in an effort to boost the global economy. “The asset managers are net beneficiaries of that because it pushes investors out to riskier asset classes, and it’s the asset managers that manage those assets,” he explains. Areas of growth within financial services include alternative strategies, global platforms and passive investments, notes Schorr, and his favorite firms — New York–based BlackRock and Blackstone Group and Atlanta’s Invesco — are players in some or all of those areas, as evidenced by their revenue and earnings growth, margins and net new money flows, he explains. “When you have a business that’s not capital intensive, doesn’t take risk on the balance sheet, is not highly regulated, benefits from secular growth and puts up 40-plus-percent margins — that’s a great business,” Schorr concludes.