Who has benefited most from quantitative easing (QE)? You might say bankers and you could argue that being saved from oblivion with reams of printed money is something to be very grateful for.But if we're talking salaries here, investment banking pay has fallen hard (in real terms, at least) since 2006, according to the Financial Times. No, the real winners from QE have been asset managers the people who invest our money on our behalf.
A study out last week by think tank New Financial looked at "average compensation cost per employee". Between 2006 and 2014 the average cost of an investment bank employee fell by 25% to $288,000. Meanwhile, the average cost of asset management staff rose by 22% to $263,000.If that continues, says the FT, asset managers will overtake the investment bankers by this time next year.
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