2007 Man of the Year Nominees

Our first annual Man of the Year contest took place this time last year, with energy trader Eric Bolling taking top honors. Eric acquitted himself well in 2007, crushing Jim Cramer in a contest predicting the winning sectors for the year. Cramer's pick, financials, was, in a word, wrong, and Bolling's energy and Gold picks worked pretty much all year.

But we are on the prowl for fresh talent. This year ate many people alive, but our nominees rocked the Street in 2007. The BuySide dominates, no surprise given the steep losses taken at the banks and brokers this year.

John Paulson, Hedge Fund Manager: Paulson's Credit Strategy hedge funds were among the biggest winners on the Street in 2007. Paulson and his team placed big bets, and he stands to earn well in excess of a billion dollars this year. What else can you say?

Meredith Whitney, CIBC Bank Analyst: Meredith's downgrade of Citgroup, and harsh assessment of its balance sheet, was probably the biggest call on the SellSide this year. The stock and the markets imploded in the aftermath, making her call the catalyst that vaporized billions of dollars of Citi's enterprise value and billlions more for the broader market. She took on Wall Street's entrenched interests, and gained a few death threats to boot. Will they cut the dividend, and does it matter? She also thinks they might sell Smith Barney's retail operation. Check out the video clip below where she tag teams Citi with her husband.

J. Kyle Bass, Hedge Fund Manager: The head of Hayman Capital wrote a mid-year investor letter that rocked the Street. His accounting of the fraud involved in subprime lending practices put a shiver up the spine of Wall Street, and was a catalyst leading to August's swoon. Too, Bass will haul down one of Wall Street's biggest paychecks of the year. See the letter here.

Peter Thiel, Hedge Funds and Venture Capital: Thiel's Clarium Capital runs a $2 billion strategy that should end up as one of the top global macro funds this year. But his venture investments, through his Founders Fund, Facebook in particular, are providing him street cred. Will he be able to help Facebook fend off Google? Thiel will likely be a force to be reckoned with for years to come, and we are looking forward to unconventional views emanating from San Francisco's Presidio.

G.Kenneth Heebner, Mutual Fund Manager: Heebner’s go anywhere fund, CGM Focus, is up 71% year-to-date and number one in his Large Blend category for every time period. Yes, every time period. Remarkable.

Thiel on Web 2.0

More Thiel

Whitney and Citi

Heebner

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