This post is part of a special annual report -- Top Stock Picks '09 -- in which TheStockAdvisors.com asked 75 leading newsletter advisors to select their favorite investment for the new year.
A leading expert on Asia, Yiannis Mostrous looks to international bank, Standard Chartered (OTC: SCBFF) as his top pick for 2009. Here's the latest from The Silk Road Investor.
"Standard Chartered has been doing business in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East for more than 100 years.
"It's an international bank focused on retail and corporate banking and treasury activities. Although domiciled in the UK, its biggest single concentration of customers and profits is in Hong Kong.
"More than 40% of its retail income is generated by deposits and related fees. Its income streams are highly diversified, with no consumer or wholesale geography contributing more than 9% of revenues, and its loan/deposit ratio is 85%.
"The bank offers pure exposure to some of the most dynamic areas in the emerging market world and is run in a prudent manner, especially compared to most of its competition.
"Furthermore, the Asian consumer is clearly in less trouble than his UK or U.S. counterpart, and, given the longer-term growth potential, it seems to me that this is the kind of exposure we should be looking for at these levels.
"That said, the global recession will hurt the company's business as economic activity slows down in Asia and the rest of the emerging universe. The company's well diversified loan book and its limited exposure to toxic paper should provide some cushion. (We note that the stock also trades on the London exchange with the symbol STAN.)"
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