'Tis the season for league tables

ItÆs the time of the year when the elves (read analysts) in the investment banks are busy working overtime, putting together pitch books to convince the various financial journals that the year which is about to close was the best year they ever had. After all, being on top of the league tables and being selected as the (loan, bond, equity, M&A, derivative, house) investment bank of the year could make all the difference in the annual year-end goodies, in the form of bonuses for the investment bankers.