Marcos Assumpção & team Itaú BBA

The buy side says: “Marcos is everything you could ask for in an analyst.”

Itaú BBA’s Marcos Assumpção steers his São Paulo–based duo to a second straight appearance at No. 1; the 36-year-old also captains the team ranked third in Metals & Mining. The analysts have “long-term smarts,” according to one devotee. They downgraded Fibria Celulose from outperform to market perform in July 2011, at 18.50 reais, primarily on earnings pressure from rising pulp prices. Shares of the Brazil–based specialty-papers producer tumbled 17.9 percent, to 15.19 reais, through mid-July; during the same period the sector dropped 18.4 percent. In May they upgraded Brazil’s largest paper producer, Klabin, from market perform to outperform, at 7.82 reais, in anticipation of strong earnings growth. By the middle of July, the stock had surged 16.1 percent, to 9.08 reais, and was ahead of the sector by 7.9 percentage points. With a total coverage list of 14 companies, the pair is considered “the go-to authority,” declares another supporter. — Ben Mattlin