资料：New York and London may rule the roost, but other financial hubs in America and Europe have managed to carve out useful specialist niches for themselves. Chicago, for instance, has consolidated its position as the world’s derivatives center, and Houston, the largest city in Texas, is home to America’s biggest energy firms and has spawned an active cluster of energy traders and hedge funds.
Europe has also developed a diverse set of financial centers ranging from big cities to island havens such as Jersey and to niche markets such as Luxembourg and Dublin. Edinburg, an established banking center, is now touting itself as a low-cost alternative for financial operations. Among the larger hubs, Frankfurt is an important center for banking and derivatives trading through Eurex, a German-Swiss exchange, with significantly lower costs than London.
Switzerland’s twin financial centers, Geneva and Zurich, have done well in their specialists of private banking, wealth management and insurance. The main attractions are low taxes, political stability and a reputation for discretion. Urs Roth from the Swiss Bankers Association says, however, that given its tiny domestic market, Switzerland has had to fight for open markets on an international scale.
Paris has long lagged far behind London, dogged by a reputation for excessive regulation and high taxes. The new government is aware that some of France’s best financial brains have crossed the Channel for more lucrative careers in London. Yet Paris has many advantages: a large number of international banks; more international companies than Frankfurt; and easy access to regulators. It has the largest market in Europe for trading in mutual funds. Few would dispute that Paris offers an attractive quality of life and has good transport links. What makes Paris a place to watch just now is the NYSE’s recent merger with Euronext. The combined group will base its international equities business in the French capital. Euronext, which operates exchanges in five European countries, also illustrates the importance of a common language.
Financial executives around the world increasingly view Europe as a single market. Soon a new European rule called MiFID （Markets in Financial Instrument Directive） is due to be implemented. It aims to increase competition among and transparency within financial markets. Financiers in other parts of the world are wondering how to achieve a similar degree of cross-border financial integration.
All of the following are advantages of Switzerland’s financial centers EXCEPT .
A.low taxation
B.broad domestic market
C.fame for discretion
D.stable political environment
