Best of Lex

Some highlights from Monday’s FTfm.

Small hedge funds hit by closures A rising number of small hedge funds, especially those run by former investment bank proprietary traders, are shutting their doors as they face rising costs and inability to attract sufficient assets

Death rate linked to bright moonlight Research by longevity specialists has revealed there are more deaths during gibbous moon phases than during the darker phases of the moon

No doubt the California buyside was up early this morning… checking whether they had any disclosures to make under the new short-selling regulation which affects them.

That would be the European one.

Compétitivité is a big deal in France right now.

The country’s loss of competitiveness is a serious issue, especially as its crisis-struck neighbours push on with wage cuts and labour reform.

On Monday, Louis Gallois, former head of EADS, is going to publish his report on the issue, and he’s expected to call for a “competitiveness shock”. He’s already said that he wants to see somewhere between €30bn-€50bn of taxes from the payrolls transferred to broader-based taxes, such as VAT, much to the delight of business leaders.