THIRD TEAM

Elga Bartsch & team Morgan Stanley

Moving up one notch to third place after three years in the runner-up position is the trio of Morgan Stanley economists headed by Elga Bartsch. In May, as markets were cheering a plan by the International Monetary Fund and euro zone countries to save Greece from economic disaster, the team was sounding a cautionary note, telling clients that if other countries on the euro zone periphery didn’t implement austerity measures similar to those imposed on Greece as a condition of bailout, the crisis would spread. In November, Ireland became the second European country to seek a bailout package. The Morgan Stanley economists “followed the evolving crisis with rock-solid thinking and 100 percent availability,” says one buy-side supporter.