UBS retains No.1 research mantle Investment banking major UBS has again beaten rival firms to dominate the latest analyst and equities rankings compiled by markets consultant East Coles. The closely watched East Coles survey, exclusive to BusinessDay, shows UBS retained its top spot among nearly 50 broking houses in the rankings of overall research. This is a position it has held for several years, dominating specific sectors from banking to diversified minerals to gaming. It also dominated contested institutional trading rankings, including top equities house and capital markets. Other top contenders for equities research include Deutsche Bank and Macquarie. To compile the rankings, East Coles surveyed the nation's biggest fund managers, which collectively oversee nearly $50 billion in stock investments. The managers were asked to name the stockbroking teams they considered their most important sources of advice on investments in more than 20 sectors, including economics. UBS banking analyst Jonathan Mott retained the top spot as banking analyst; Deutsche Bank's Paul Young was ranked top metals and mining analyst. Citi's Craig Woolford was voted best retail analyst and Morgan Stanley's Andrew McLeod best media analyst. Scott Haslem topped the rankings as best market economist while Macquarie's Tanya Branwhite was voted best strategist. JP Morgan's Stuart Jackson took out best food and beverages analyst and UBS' James Coghill best insurance analyst. Among the mid-tier stockbrokers, BBY was ranked No.1 in equities research and Taylor Collison as having the best equities desk. Reports by analysts are designed to give the fund manager clients of a broking house an edge in their approach to allocating billions of dollars of investments. Some analysts even compile proprietary data, commissioning surveys of bank customers, or the pricing of insurance policies around the country to find early trends in a particular industry. Some analysts are influential over sentiment surrounding stocks.