There’s no doubt that the last year of turmoil in the financial markets has rearranged the rankings of investment banks, hedge funds and private equity firms. We’re in a Nietzschean period, with a revaluation of all values (and a devaluation of most values).
So which firms have come out on top? The lads and lasses at HereIsTheCity, a London financial gossip sheet, has decided to rank financial firms according to the preference of employees and job-seekers. What are the prizes in the new financial economy? What are the “safety schools?” Although the methodology behind the rankings is a bit mysterious, HITC takes into account job security, work/life balance, job satisfaction, compensation/benefits and staff morale to create it’s rankings. They present this as a ranking of which firms are “in vogue” or “hip” right now.
The results are controversial. Working for the Financial Service Authority ranks above working for Goldman Sachs. DE Shaw is the first rank private equity shop. Wachovia Securities is dead last.
After the jump, we bring you HITC’s top ten and a link to the full list.
Top Ten Hip Financial Firms
1. BlackRock
2. Barclays Global Investors
3. JPMorgan Asset Management
4. Renaissance Technologies Corp.
5. Macquarie
6. Nomura
7. Och-Ziff Capital Management Group
8. D. E. Shaw
9. BNP Paribas
10. Scotia Capital
Is Your Firm ‘In Vogue’ In This Credit Crunched World ?
The shit is hitting the fan at Moody’s. It has an Aaa rating too!
What? No Citi?
What? No MBIA?
What no New Century?
What no SocGen?
What? No DBL?
No surprise with BNP Paribas in the top 10. They are masterminds of surviving the credit crunch unscathed. They were also the first to sound the alarm bells back in August 2007 before anyone knew what was about to hit the market in the New Year.
@ 11:15
And they’re also french. F&ck em’
(in fairness they’re more risk-averse, so yes they’ve managed to get on relatively unscathed)
13. The Financial Services Authority
riiiiiiiiiight
At least I made top 80.
@11:52 – I don’t think you can say they are more risk averse when depend so much on derivatives (mainly equity) and project finance. Not to mention they had a record YE07 and are one of the few (2 or 3) banks that have been profitable every quarter since the crunch.
@11:52 – I don’t think you can say they are more risk averse when they depend so much on derivatives (mainly equity) and project finance. Not to mention they had a record YE07 and are one of the few (2 or 3) banks that have been profitable every quarter since the crunch.
@11:15 – they are also masterminds of avoiding the top 10 in any US league table as well
@ 11:58/12:00
I should have clarified; like socgen they’re big in eqd, but in IB (especially in the US), they haven’t committed significant resources like DB or the swiss.
# 36. Stephens? Who?
“Stephens Inc. is a full service, privately owned investment bank headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, with offices across the country in key markets, as well as abroad in London.”
Arkansas?
Hahahahaha, I love that Wachovia is ranked dead last. WTF would anyone want to work as a bank teller, anyway?
How is SocGen #11???
a dubious list, with even more dubious criteria, at best
@12:49 – Soc Gen did not fire many people apart from Jerome Kerviel (even less than BNP) and are part of the few banks that have been profitable every quarter so far.
This distribution of firms strongly hints that they just randomized the list
These rankings are ludicrous. Wachovia Securities is a top 100 firm!
Soc Gen also pays their employees in baguettes…
@2:27 hahaha awesome, case closed!
xenophobes
What no Thomas Weisel?
@2:27
If Wachovia is top 100, then so is my left nut, even if my sack is all shriveled up. (Paired with the right, I’d put them in the top 50.)
why is goldman on there twice?
what about GSC?
Lil’ Stephens Inc – private IB…if you have to ask you can’t afford it.
Try googling “alotian.”
Maybe the rankings where swayed by golf?
You mean hip replacement league, right? Banks? Come on!
With all the recent layoffs at BB’s going on, I’m surprised there aren’t more boutiques and mid-market firms on this list.
Dan Loeb was right. Proof the English shouldn’t be allowed to play with money.
Anyone heard the rumor of JPM buying Wachovia? I have information from people on Charlotte that JPM company planes have been making lots of trips down there – and not to visit BOA.
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