Hoy Kit Mak & team J.P. Morgan

Vaulting from runner-up to No. 2 is Hoy Kit Mak and his J.P. Morgan squad of seven. The analysts work out of Kuala Lumpur and track 40 companies — and they are hailed for their “on-the-ground expertise, which helps put their research in the right perspective,” as one portfolio manager puts it. The team upgraded Hong Leong Bank from neutral to overweight back in April 2010, at 8.19 ringgit, on its swelling portfolio of loans and rising fees. The Kuala Lumpur–based commercial lender’s stock had shot up 54.1 percent, to 12.62 ringgit, and outpaced Malaysia broad market by 34.7 percentage points, through March 2012. Looking ahead, the researchers recommend Media Prima, a Petaling Jaya–based broadcaster and moviemaker, on its rising revenues and as a defensive play during Malaysia’s election year. — ­Ben Mattlin