For years, institutional investors have ranked the top analysts on the Street.
Now consulting firm Brendan Wood International has turned the tables, and enlisted sell side analysts in a ranking of the country's 50 "TopGun" equity portfolio managers.
These lists are more of a popularity contest than a testament to savvy stock-picking, but everyone loves rankings. Brendan Wood says the TopGun rating "reflects those with the best grasp of the industries in which they invest and those with the most influence in the Canadian market."
Here is Brendan Wood's list of the top money managers for 2008, arranged in alphabetical order:
Portfolio Manager Asset Management Firm
Don Anderson Phillips, Hager & North
Gary Baker Connor, Clark & Lunn Investment Management
Chris Beer RBC Asset Management
Oscar Belaiche Goodman & Company Investment Counsel
Paul Bloom Bloom Investment Counsel
Stephen Bonnyman Mclean Budden
Claude Boulos Natcan Investment Management
Jeremy Burge Capital International Asset Management
Stephane Champagne CI Investments
Robert Cohen Goodman & Company Investment Counsel
Serge Depatie Natcan Investment Management
Charles Dillingham Morguard Investments
Terry Dimock Caisse de Depot et placement du Quebec
Brad Dunkley Gluskin Sheff & Associates
Alastair Dunn Connor, Clark & Lunn Investment Management
Benoit Gervais Mackenzie Investments
Dom Grestoni Investors Group
Kevin Hall Guardian Capital
Jean-Francois Jolicoeur Caisse de Depot et placement du Quebec
Stuart Kedwell RBC Asset Management
Stephen Kibsey Caisse de Depot et placement du Quebec
Patrice Langlois Caisse de Depot et placement du Quebec
Ari Levy TD Asset Management
Leslie Lundquist Bissett Investment Management
Kevin MacLean Sentry Select Capital
Hugh McCauley Acuity Funds
Sandy McIntyre Sentry Select Capital
Dennis Mitchell Sentry Select Capital
Marcello Montanari RBC Asset Management
Bruce Murray Mclean Budden
Margot Naudie TD Asset Management
John Novak Connor, Clark & Lunn Investment Management
Charles Oliver Sprott Asset Management
John Priestman Guardian Capital
Doug Raymond RBC Asset Management
Daniel Rice III BlackRock Advisors
Rohit Sehgal Goodman & Company Investment Counsel
Michael Simpson Sentry Select Capital
John Smolinski TD Asset Management
Brahm Spilfogel RBC Asset Management
Eric Sprott Sprott Asset Management
Tom Stanley Resolute Funds Limited
John Stephenson First Asset Management
Fred Sturm Mackenzie Investments
Andrew Taylor Goodman & Company Investment Counsel
Louis-Phillipe Thibodeau Caisse de Depot et placement du Quebec
Scott Vali CI Investments
William Webb Gluskin Sheff & Associates
Malcolm White CI Investments
Gordon Zive RBC Asset Management
In summing up these ratings, Stewart Borden, the Brendan Wood partner in charge of Canada, said: "The results amplify the importance of collaboration, inspiration and integrity in the critical relationship between portfolio managers and sell-side analysts."
Andrew Willis