Steven DeSanctis BofA Merrill Lynch Global Research
The buy side says: “Steve is a solid resource.”
This year marks the third straight appearance at No. 1 for Steven DeSanctis of BofA Merrill Lynch Global Research, who impresses clients with his responsiveness. “He will have even customized data back to me in minutes,” marvels one supporter. DeSanctis, 42, downgraded small-cap industrials from overweight to neutral in May, and at the same time he reduced small-cap basic-materials companies from neutral to underperform, deeming shares of outfits in those sectors to be overpriced. The industrials sector, which had advanced 1.9 percent year-to-date at the time of the downgrade, subsequently slid 6.6 percent, through August. Materials, which had already been down by 4.1 percent for the year, tumbled 6.2 percent further. During the same period the broad market dipped 2.3 percent.
