< The 2016 All-Asia Research Team
Wei (Vivian) Tao & team
Citi
First-place appearances: 2
Total appearances: 14
Team debut: 2003
During the two years in which coverage of regional transportation names was rolled into the broader Industrials category, Wei (Vivian) Tao and Tak Hung (Eric) Lau co-piloted their Citi squad to runner-up showings. Transportation is again a separate sector, and Tao leads her duo to No. 3, the position it earned in 2013. Lau continues to oversee the firm’s Industrials group, which is again a runner-up. Tao and her associate are “very knowledgeable and produce top-notch research,” one fund manager attests. Tracking 25 companies in Asia ex-Japan, they see reason for optimism in several segments. “We expect the aviation and tanker sectors to continue to outperform throughout 2016,” Tao reports. “The major challenge that the airlines sector could face is renminbi depreciation, and oil prices are another wild card. Within the overall transportation space, we expect the airlines, airports and tanker sectors to outperform.”
