Party politics: Why investors should celebrate AIM's 30th birthday, even if the government won't

London's "junior" market, AIM, will turn 30 on June 19. There will be no party per se, but it is still a milestone worth celebrating – even if the powers that be would have you believe otherwise. Three decades ago, when AIM originated under the guise of the Alternative Investment Market, the fundamental idea was to provide promising smaller companies with capital and ongoing finance. This much has undoubtedly been achieved. For example, a report published last year credited AIM with helping more than 4,000 businesses raise approximately £135bn since launch. It also calculated that the...