SECOND TEAM

Christopher Muse Jr.  Barclays Capital

Occupying the second tier for a second straight year is Christopher Muse Jr. of Barclays Capital. Investors applaud his weekly “Muse-ings,” both in research notes and voice mails, on market trends and catalysts. Back in March 2009, Muse told clients to pick up shares of IPG Photonics Corp., a manufacturer of fiber lasers headquartered in Oxford, Massachusetts; he believed the company would enjoy strong growth because fiber lasers are more powerful and precise than conventional lasers. The stock had rocketed a dazzling 695.3 percent, from $7.20 to $57.26, and soared past the Standard & Poor’s 500 semiconductor equipment index by 592.9 percentage points, by February 2011, when Muse declared the shares fully valued and downgraded them to equal weight. Since then, IPG’s share price has barely changed; it closed August at $57.98.