Speculators have remained as keen to borrow shares as they were in March last year, despite lenders pulling 10% of their inventory since then as they became skittish amid bans on hedge funds trying to short financial shares, according to new research.

Speaking at the Securities Lending Forum in London, Mark Faulkner, director of New York headquartered short selling analysts DataExplorers.com said the volume of shares of the 50 largest companies on DataExplorers' database being borrowed was "broadly the same as it was in March last year," taking account of changes in exchange rates and share prices.