Around the World: Lloyds cutting jobs, but hiring in Scotland

Margins are under pressure but private banks won't cut pay

We have heard the refrain that private bankers in Asia are extremely sought after, with many firms willing to give an arm and a leg for top talent. In today's current active market, good relationship managers can land a 20 to 40 per cent salary increases when switching firms, say recruiters. But are the good times for such bankers about to end? Recent reports seem to suggest that the outlook for private bankers isn't as sunny as it once was. [HK]

Why whittling down trading platforms is good news for IT change managers

Investment banks are looking to whittle down the number of trading platforms they run. In the long term, this might not be great news for technologists working on developing these systems, but the streamlining process is providing a lot of project work for those with change management expertise. [UK]

Questions to ask to make sure you get a good recruiter

Sniffing out a top recruiter is easier said than done. With so many choices, getting an extraordinary headhunter, not someone who's only enamoured with putting bums on seats, is just downright tricky. So to help you out, here are some tips. [China]

YOUR KILLER EQUITIES INTERVIEW QUESTIONS: There are 10 seconds to go in a basketball game, you trail by 2 points, what do you do?

Here's the latest question sent in by site visitors who have attended equities interviews at investment banks. This was allegedly asked in an equities index arbitrage trading interview at Credit Suisse. If you disagree with the answer at any point, please express your opinion in the comments box below. THE QUESTION: There are 10 seconds to go in a basketball game, you trail by 2 points, what do you do? [Sweden]

Lloyds may be about to cut more jobs, but most banks are recruiting in Scotland

In an ominous sign that the mooted 15,000 redundancies earmarked at Lloyds Banking Group will hit Scotland, we're told that any recruitment at the bank has dried up in recent weeks. The good news, however, is that most other banks are recruiting north of the border. [Scotland]

Breaking up with the bulge bracket: Candidates take a shine to boutique i-banks

Boutique investment banks Evercore and Lexicon, both of whom have a presence in Hong Kong, are merging. It's not clear yet what the impact will be on their Asian headcounts, but here's a look at how boutique i-banks fare in terms of attracting talent. [Singapore]