Ting LuBank of AmericaMerrill LynchFirst-Place Appearances: 2
Total Appearances: 4
Analyst Debut: 2011
For a second consecutive year,Ting Luof Bank of America Merrill Lynch dominates this lineup. The Hong Kong–based economist, 39, “has a deep understanding of the Chinese economy and is not prone to hyperbole, unlike some of his peers,” one portfolio manager attests. “His ability to support his narratives with quantifiable data sets him apart. Ting is also my first call when I need a read on the latest policy measures.” In March, after Shanghai Chaori Solar Energy Science and Technology Co. failed to pay interest on an 89.8 million yuan ($14.7 million) security, representing China’s first domestic corporate bond default, Lu “calmed the markets with resolute calls that there would be no financial crisis,” recalls another admirer. The following month, investors panicked anew over the economic impact of Beijing’s anticorruption and antivice campaigns. (President Xi Jinping took office in March 2013 and has vigorously cracked down on these problems.) The researcher provided clients with “a comprehensive analysis,” says a third buy-side ally, “which was helpful in clearing the hysteria.” More recently, a state media outlet announced in July that Zhou Yongkang, a former top security official, was being investigated by the government for possible disciplinary infractions. At the time of his retirement in 2012, Zhou was a member of the Communist Party’s Politburo Standing Committee and secretary of its Central Politics and Law Commission; he is the highest-ranking member of the party to be brought down primarily on allegations of corruption. Even so, Lu reassured investors that “the focus of the new government can start to shift from the antigraft campaign to real institutional reforms, which are badly needed for China’s long-term economic health.” As another backer remarks, “Ting’s work is well researched, timely and impactful.”