Trading volumes at TD Waterhouse were up 48 per cent this week on the previous seven days, according to the company’s latest stats.

Banking stocks accounted for almost two thirds of all trades, at 61 per cent, with Lloyds Banking Group and Royal Bank of Scotland leaning strongly in favour of buys this week.

Angus Rigby, chief executive officer of TD Waterhouse (TDW), said that these figures show that customers have started the year in a buying mood.

He explained, ‘As UK banks jumped to defend their bonuses against the government’s proposed super tax, Lloyds proved to be the most popular trade this week accounting for almost a quarter of the top ten buys and sells.

‘Buys were markedly ahead of sells as the chief of the 43 per cent state owned bank, Eric Daniels, reiterated that his £1 million salary was modest.’

TDW said that its customers traded heavily in Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), accounting for 21 per cent of the over all top ten trades, with buys climbing 45 per cent higher than sells as the bank defended its banker bonus policy.

Rigby added, ‘Earlier this month, the banking giant announced an agreement to sell some of its fund management assets and contracts of RBS Asset Management to Aberdeen Asset Management in a deal worth £84.7 million that is expected to complete during the first quarter of the year.’

Outside of banking, investors have shown their appetite for alternative options.  Shares in Sea Energy soared after the government unveiled its proposals to open nine offshore green-energy sites.

The proposals state that the government is aiming to produce 25 per cent of the UK’s electricity needs through the use of wind farms.

As a result, shares in the firm went up by 15 per cent to 81.5p by 8 Jan as its subsidiary Sea Energy Renewables was awarded at 25 per cent stake in the Moray Frith Zone in Northeast Scotland by The Crown Estate.

Despite this, shares in the company fell once more on Monday after it announced it was granting 1.98 million share options, with a substantial proportion to its own directors.