With mkts on song, I-bankers make hay

Investment bankers never had it so good. With an increase in overseas players making a mark in the country, bankers’ bonuses have gone through the roof. A host of factors like rise in volumes in the stock market, increase in mergers and acquisitions and the consequent increase in financing, and a talent shortage in the industry have fuelled such a sharp rise.

Bonuses this time have been in the range of 100% to 300% in most of the well-known investment banks. With volumes in the stock market increasing, brokerage houses have seen one of the sharpest rise in bonuses.

They have also seen some of the largest payouts. If sources are to be believed, head of a foreign brokerage house has received one of the largest bonus payouts of over $3 million. The research head of the firm is also said to have received a similar amount.

Of late, companies have become vary of giving out names due to the fear of extortion threats to their key employees. Incidentally, though there has been a rise in the number of people who got bonuses of over $1 million, the sharpest rise has been in the $0.5- $1 million slab. The number of bankers who received bonuses in this range is said to have more than doubled.

Read more in The Economic Times article.