Hideyuki Maekawa Credit Suisse

Credit Suisse’s Hideyuki Maekawa climbs from third place to second. “He’s an up-and-comer with a unique technological perspective,” asserts one supporter, pointing to the analyst’s July downgrade of Elpida Memory from neutral to underperform, at ¥940. Maekawa argued that mobile random-access memory technology was replacing dynamic random-access memory modules in the latest tablet computers and smartphones, threatening Elpida’s earnings structure. The Tokyo-based company filed for bankruptcy protection in late February, and by the end of that month, the stock had plummeted 99.3 percent, to ¥7, and trailed the sector by a stunning 85.1 percentage points.  — Ben Mattlin