BTG Pactual Rockets to the Top of Institutional Investor's Latin America Research Survey

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - Aug 7, 2012) -  BTG Pactual catapults from sixth place to claim the top spot on the 2012 Latin America Research Team, bringing an abrupt end to J.P. Morgan's three-year domination of Institutional Investor's annual survey of the region's best sell-side analysts.

Complete survey results can be found at www.institutionalinvestor.com.

Brazil-based BTG Pactual, which has been rapidly expanding throughout Latin America, captures 22 team positions, more than double the 10 it won last year and four more than second-place Bank of America Merrill Lynch, which picks up three positions, for a total of 18.

J.P. Morgan tumbles to third place despite winning the same number of slots -- 17 -- as last year. It shares the No. 3 spot with Morgan Stanley, which in 2011 tied for second place with BofA Merrill. Morgan Stanley's slip in the ranking belies its gain of two team positions. Itau BBA holds firm in fifth place even though it, too, adds to its team-position total: Itau wins 16 spots, up from 12.

Survey results reflect the opinions of nearly 800 investment professionals at some 400 institutions that manage $397.7 billion in Latin American equities and $162 billion in Latin American debt.

II also asked participants to weigh in on which firm's field the region's best sales teams and to rank the brokerages they use on the quality of trading services provided. Credit Suisse is No. 1 in sales, followed by BTG Pactual and then J.P. Morgan.

Global banks outperform local firms insofar as trading services are concerned. Bank of America Merrill Lynch ranks the highest, followed by J.P. Morgan in second place and Credit Suisse in third.

For more information contact Alyssa Walker at awalker@iiresearchgroup.com or (212) 224-3677.

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