CNBC's Young Guns series profiling the top analysts, traders and money managers on Wall Street under 35 years old. Squawk on the Street's Erin Burnett and Mark Haines talk to these rising stars of the investment world about what makes them the best at what they do.
Best of the Best
Min Sohn manages two five-star funds for Janus -- the Fundamental Equity and Growth & Income funds. Sohn picks his stocks with the shrewd and prudent wisdom of a seasoned investor, working closely with his research team and sometimes making some difficult calls, especially with refiner Valero: "We're very impressed by their focus on improving both balance sheet and capital efficiency," he says. Find out why he thinks the recent subprime mess may make Fannie Mae a good bet.
Going With Your Gut
ETF trader, Marc Pasuco of Apache Trading has something of a reputation for unbelievable discipline in all market conditions. Pasuco himself says people in the ETF game "either have it, or they don't."
Hailed by Trader Monthly's "Thirty Under Thirty," Pasuco backs up his braggadocio claiming now that ETF spreads are so tight "you really have to have a niche for the market." Pasuco also explains why he thinks the tax advantages of ETFs make a better investment than mutual funds.
Options On Options
Maria Grant, chief options strategist for Goldman Sachs, took great pains to demystify the complex and somewhat intimidating world of options trading. She says those who have learned complex options strategies may be surprised to discover that "the bulk of what actually trades is actually very simple."
There's nothing confusing about her track record. "We had 35% growth last year alone and the market has been growing at a greater than 25% clip over the past few years" says Grant.
No One Hit Wonder
Specialty retail analyst Brian Tunick of JPMorgan explains his strategy for sizing up hit driven products, such as toys based on film characters like Shrek.
"The trend is your friend, so if you have a stumble in the first quarter, usually you have inventory levels that are too high, earnings are at risk so it's better off to wait for these companies to clear out inventories and come back a couple of quarters later." Turnick says another reason for his success is that he avoids falling in and out of love with certain stocks.
Among his picks are Abercrombie and Fitch, Hot Topic, and Federated (soon to be renamed Macys).
Disclosure note: Neither Tunick, the firm nor members of his family own shares but JPMorgan does do business with companies covered by its analysts.
Taking The Pulse of Biotech
Mark Schoenebaum, Bear Stearns' biotechnology expert, has been named the best in his field by "Institutional Investor" for two years in a row.
He is cautious in the short term, but bullish long term. Schoenebaum says it has been a tough year for the big names in the field and that pricing pressure and concerns about a longer FDA approval process headwinds for the sector.
Long term he is bullish because valuations are very low and there's the potential for a new product cycle.
As for Genentech, whose stock has slumped despite second-quarter outstanding earnings, Schoenebaum says "the business is very healthy," but admits that "third-quarter results are tougher to predict."
Disclosure note: Schoenebaum and members of his family own shares of Genentech. Bear Stearns and/or its affiliates have done business with the company, as well as other biotech firms, in the past 12 months.