THIRD TEAM

Ning Ma  Goldman Sachs (Asia)

Last year Ning Ma of Goldman Sachs (Asia) was No. 1 in Financials. This year we divided the sector into Banks and Insurance, and Ma finishes third in Banks. The Beijing-based analyst “helped us locate entry points in a range-bound sector,” observes one buy-side enthusiast. In February 2010, Ma pounded the table on China Construction Bank Corp., dubbing the shares a bargain at HK$5.63. By the end of April 2011, the Beijing-based retail and corporate lender’s stock had surged 30.6 percent, to HK$7.35, and beat the sector by 6.3 percentage points. “His understanding is solid, and his arguments are invariably thoughtful,” marvels another devotee.