The fortunes of firms operating in the financial markets have changed a lot in the last 6 months, with asset writedowns, quarterly losses and job cuts making life a lot more uncomfortable for many who work in them. We are now in a new world order, as firms that were only recently seen as employers of choice are struggling (and staff are sweating about their futures).

So we thought we'd compile a mid-Credit Crunch league table to ascertain which firms have come out of the market turmoil best so far. We have tried to identify which firms are now considered by existing staff and job seekers as 'hip' or 'in vogue'.

The following league table is based on our current estimates on the following:

1. Job Security (likely job losses due to downsizing and / or possible merger or acquisition)

2. Work / Life Balance

3. Job Satisfaction

4. Compensations / Benefits

5. Overall staff morale (Note morale can still be good despite adversity)

Each firm has been awarded points in each section based on our estimates. And what we have uncovered is a 'New World Order', as most of the large US and European investment banks, usually near the top in these kind of surveys, have been muscled aside by hedge funds, asset / mutual funds firms, boutique investment banks, private banks and private equity firms.

And here's our Mid-Credit Crunch 'In Vogue' Firm League Table

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

11. SG Corporate & Investment Banking

12. State Street

13. The Financial Services Authority

14. KBC Group

15. Schroders

16. Panmure Gordon

17. RBC Capital Markets

18. Goldman Sachs Asset Management

19. Apollo Capital Partners

20. Barclays Capital

21. The Securities and Exchange Commission

22. Standard Bank Corporate & Investment Banking

23. Texas Pacific Group

24. Fortis Merchant Banking

25. Renaissance Capital

26. Ladenburg Thalman

27. Oppenheimer & Co

28. The London Stock Exchange

29. Morley Fund Management

30. Rabobank Wholesale Banking

31. Goldman Sachs

32. Santander Global Banking & Markets

33. Daiwa Securities SMBC

34. Gartmore

35. Lazard

36. Lloyds TSB Corporate Markets

37. Apax Partners

38. Permira

39. Stephens Inc.

40. Investec

41. DZ Bank Investment Banking

42. RAB Capital

43. Hawkpoint Partners

44. Axa Investment Management

45. Credit Suisse Private Bank

46. 3i

47. HSBC Private Bank

48. Neptune Investment Management

49. Citadel Investments

50. First State Investments

51. Deutsche Bank

52. Legg Mason

53. Insight Investments

54. Artemis Investment Management

55. Wedbush

56. ICAP

57. NM Rothschild

58. PIMCO

59. Susquehanna International Group of Companies

60. Man Investments

61. RCM

62. Canaccord Adams

63. Barclays Wealth

64. GAM London Ltd

65. Wells Fargo Private Bank

66. Scott-Macon

67. Citi Private Bank

68. Societe Generale Asset Management

69. Harris Williams & Co

70. Landsbanki Securities

71. Fortress Investment Group

72. Northern Trust

73. The Blackstone Group

74. Cazenove

75. Houlihan Lokey

76. UBS Asset Management

77. Credit Suisse Investment Banking

78. Bank of Scotland Treasury

79. Kohlberg Kravis Roberts

80. JPMorgan Private Bank

81. Evercore Partners

82. Jefferies & Co

83. HSBC Asset Management

84. nabCapital

85. SEB Merchant Banking

86. Brown Brothers Harriman

87. Vanguard

88. Fidelity Investments

89. SAC Capital Advisors

90. Janus Capital

91. Threadneedle Investments

92. T Rowe Price

93. M&G Investment Management Limited

94. Collins Stewart

95. ING Wholesale Banking

96. Aberdeen Asset Management

97. FBR Capital Markets

98. Standard Chartered Wholesale Banking

99. AIG Global Investment Management

100. UBS Wealth Management

101. The Federal Reserve

102. Bank of New York Mellon

103. F & C Asset Management

104. The Bank of England

105. Commerzbank Corporates & Markets

106. Bank of America Global Corporate & Investment Banking

107. Cantor Fitzgerald / BGC Partners

108. JPMorgan

109. HSBC Investment Bank

110. WestLB Corporates & Capital Markets

111. Morgan Stanley

112. Merrill Lynch

113. TD Ameritrade

114. TD Securities

115. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group

116. Dresdner Kleinwort

117. UBS Investment Bank

118. Unicredit Markets & Investment Banking

119. Moodys Investor Services

120. Charles Schwab

121. The New York Stock Exchange

122. Standard & Poor's

123. e*trade

124. CIBC World Markets

125. Fitch Ratings

126. Citi Institutional Clients Group

127. Fortis Asset Management

128. Morgan Stanley Asset Management

129. Credit Suisse Asset Management

130. Lehman Brothers

131. Calyon

132. Mizuho Securities

133. Natixis

134. Royal Bank of Scotland Global Markets & Banking

135. Wachovia Securities

If we have missed any firm out, please let us know and we will rate it and add it to the list in the appropriate position. Send any omissions to us at news@hereisthecity.com

Please use the 'E-Mail' button immediately under the title to send this item to a friend.

Hit the link below to see the results of the Best Place to Work Polls we ran in January. The results were compiled on the basis of reader votes:

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