The first 'size' table, which reflects the number of clients of financial advisers, shows remarkably little change from last quarter's rankings, except in two particulars. HSBC Investment Bank has dropped sharply in the table from third place last time to its current tenth position; its client numbers have fallen from 70.5 to 51.5. The other point of interest is the arrival, in twelfth place, of Williams de Broe, with 44 clients, who has ousted Teather & Greenwood, number thirteen last time. In other respects both positions and client numbers are much as before. Top of the table is UBS Warburg again, although with a slightly reduced number of clients - 122 as opposed to 124.5. Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein is in second place, but a good way behind with 80 clients.

Firms whose clients are making the most profit form the subject of the second size table. Here HSBC has retained the lead followed, as in the last quarter's rankings, by Lazard Brothers, UBS Warburg and Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein in that order. Here again at the top of this table the discrepancy between the figures of the first - HSBC Investment Bank, whose clients report aggregate pre-tax profits of £6,041.7m - and second - Lazard Brothers, £3,268.4m - is conspicuous. Only the first five in the table can show positive results. This quarter's newcomer Williams de Broe makes sixth place.

Last quarter's first 'growth' table, showing fastest growing clients based on average increases in clients' pre-tax profits, was led by Brewin Dolphin with a figure of 9.1%. This time round Williams de Broe heads the list although with the significantly lower figure of 6.7%. Brewin Dolphin comes in second, with the only other positive figure of 6.1%. HSBC Investment Bank shows another sharp fall, this time from second to tenth place. Collins Stewart has achieved a rise of four places from number thirteen to number nine. Almost all the percentages are lower than they were last quarter, particularly so at the tail-end of the table: the last three places whose previous percentages were -19.3, -21.2 and -24.6 respectively, now show figures of -25.8, -26.1 and -33.0.

Brewin Dolphin has managed to retain the lead in the second growth table which is based on average increases in client's earnings per share. As in the previous table only the clients of the first two achieve positive growth figures. This table is characterised in the current quarter by some marked changes in fortune. The biggest jump upwards is made by Collins Stewart from eleventh place last time to sixth now, while Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein has climbed from eighth to fourth place. HSBC Investment Bank's ranking has dropped from third to eleventh and Schroder Salomon Smith Barney has similarly fallen eight places from second to tenth.


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