In his spare time Tim Howkins, chief executive of IG Group, scans the heavens looking for supernovas and comets that have escaped the telescopes of the professional astronomers. During business hours he focuses on a more prosaic search for new customers in continental Europe.

IG claims more than 50 per cent of the spread betting market, a largely UK phenomenon because of favourable tax rules, and slightly less of the combined spread betting/ contracts for difference market. But Mr Howkins’ ambition for the next 10 years is to be generating as much revenue from each of eight to 10 overseas markets as IG does in the UK.