Macquarie said to axe around 30 in Asia

Some 30 people have been let go at Macquarie as the Australian bank retrenches from the region due to increased competition and lower trading volumes, according to two people familiar with the matter. 

Matthew Smith left the bank this week as a China financials analyst in Shanghai after more than 13 years with the Sydney-based firm, joining a casualty list that stretches across Hong Kong, Japan, and India, the two people said. 

Prior to his role in China, he covered banks, insurance companies, and brokerage firms in Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan, according to his LinkedIn profile. Smith ...