'I'm ready for this, there's no denying': Four reasons to celebrate AIM's 30th birthday

Landmark birthdays often bring reflection. When we reach a particular milestone – 18, 21, 40, 50 – we tend to ruminate on what we have achieved to date and what we hope to accomplish in the future. Spare a thought, then, for AIM, formerly the Alternative Investment Market, which will turn 30 this year. The UK's "junior" market, as it is also known, certainly has plenty to contemplate as it heads into its fourth decade. On 19 June 1995, when it was launched as a sub-exchange of the London Stock Exchange (LSE), AIM consisted of just ten companies. Each was small, primed for growth and i...