On Tuesday, Bloomberg Markets announced its second annual 50 Most Influential list. The honorees have been described as having the ability to either move markets, or shape ideas and policies. From their clout, it can affect a stock’s price or a deal’s structure.
These are the attributes that define the people who hold the power in financial circles. It’s a diverse list and you may be surprised who made it. But, sitting at No. 1, which was not a shock, is Warren Buffet.
As Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK.A) (NYSE:BRK.B)’s 82-year-old CEO, Bloomberg described the financial giant as someone who can “frame new financial controversies with old-line value-investing rules.” With the slide of Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB)’s shares after its IPO, Warren Buffet said, “You shouldn’t buy a farm because you think you’re going to sell it the next day for more money.”
Also on the list was Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s CEO Tim Cook. Bloomberg noted that with Cook at the helm, Apple’s market value jumped in his first year on the job, but he may have a ways to go to show he’s worthy of succeeding Steve Jobs. He has lived up to his 2011 $378 million compensation.
Let’s hear it for the Ladies
In the list of eight ladies in this top 50, International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM)’s CEO Ginni Rometty was the first one to appear. She grabbed the top job at IBM in January, and oversees the No. 4 U.S. company, defined by market value. Rometty’s looking to raise operating earnings to $20 per share in 2015, up from 2011’s $13.44.
Additional women included on the list were Mary Erdoes, Asset Management CEO, JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM), Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister, West Bengal, Aung San Suu Kyi, Chairperson, National League for Democracy, Janet Yellen, Vice Chairman, U.S. Federal Reserve, Carmen Reinhart, Professor, Harvard University, Isabelle Ealet, Co-Head of Securities, Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) and Ruth Porat, CFO, Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS).
Interestingly, Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO)’s new CEO, Marissa Mayer does not make the cut.
Hedge Fund Managers Get Some Love
Including in the list were a number of hedge fund managers. These seven made the list: AQR Capital Management’s Clifford Asness, Tiger Global Management’s Chase Coleman, Omega Advisors’ Leon Cooperman, Bridgewater Associates’ Ray Dalio, JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) Asset Management CEO Mary Erdoes, DoubleLine Capital’s Jeffrey Gundlach, and BlueCrest Capital Management’s Michael Platt.
Taking a closer look a a few, there’s Omega Advisors’ Leon Cooperman.
Bloomberg noted that the Omega Advisor founder has seen average annual returns of more than 13 percent over two decades. Cooperman has been seen as a stock picker with staying power. When trying to find value, he asks, “What’s ridiculously priced now?”
And one of our favorite bond managers to write about, Jeffrey Gundlach.
As the founder of DoubleLine Capital, Gundlach’s bond hedge fund has seen an average annual return of 13.9 percent with his 2010 inception though July, surpassing his biggest rivals. Gundlach’s firm has approximately $40 billion under management.
So do Politicians…
And just to add a little political fun to the list, there was the inclusion of Paul Ryan, Chairman, House Budget Committee aka Mitt Romney’s running mate.
Bloomberg wrote that Paul Ryan, who is a Young Guns member, has quickly risen to challenge the older Republican guard in the U.S. House of Representatives. Not considered a compromiser, Paul Ryan sat on the Bowles-Simpson commission and voted against its final plan.
I not so sure I’d call him a numbers guy, since a runner never fibs by an hour regarding his marathon time.
