The once annual - and now biennial – list of new Goldman Sachs managing directors has always been closely watched by rivals. But the focus on the class of 2013 is even greater.

The US bank yesterday announced a list of 280 new managing directors. A fifth of these are women, while 56% are based in the Americas, and a little more than quarter, or 27%, are based in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.