Chien Ming (Jeremy) Chen & team Morgan Stanley

Dropping one notch to No. 3 is the 16-member Morgan Stanley squad headquartered in Taipei. Captained by newcomer Chien Ming (Jeremy) Chen, the analysts pounded the table in September on Hotai Motor Co., at 129.50 Taiwan dollars, after the Taipei-based vehicle distributor confirmed a deal to build Toyota hybrids. By the end of March, the stock had raced to NT$238, gaining 83.8 percent and speeding past Thailand’s broad market by 75.2 percentage points. “They helped us make money,” declares one grateful client. Among the 80 stocks the team covers, current favorites also include technology companies with exposure to smartphones and tablets, especially Hsinchu-based chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. — ­Ben Mattlin