Most Curious

Alpha males had beta read this
In his best-selling book Liar’s Poker, Michael Lewis, a one-time Salomon Brothers bond salesman, coined the term ‘Big Swinging Dick’ (BSD), a charming epithet he reserves for those traders who do their jobs with inimitable bravura.
Be the first to comment | February 2012
God turns a blind eye as crisis bites
The picaro, or rogue, is a stock character in Spanish culture. Often a foundling or waif, he’s the wily anti-hero of a number of works of fiction, most notably Lazarillo de Tormes, a classic of the picaresque genre.
Be the first to comment | February 2012
Employees rewarded for tyreless efforts
In these straitened times, when a company makes the news for its largesse, it is usually because the board has decided to pay itself a bonus of unconscionable proportions.
Be the first to comment | February 2012
Klaus Masuch questioned on TV by Irish journalist
The Blarney Stone in Cork, Ireland is said to confer on those who kiss it the 'gift of the gab' - a facility with the spoken language that is a preserve of the Celts.
Be the first to comment | January 2012
Shoots you, sir!
In Europe, politicians aren’t known for their fashion sense. When they want to add a sartorial flourish to the standard three-piece suit, they more often than not opt for a novelty tie or shoulder pads.
Be the first to comment | January 2012
Mafia steps in to fill funding gap
Behind every great fortune there is a great crime.

(Honoré de Balzac)

Aficionados of the Godfather films will know that mafia kingpin Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) spends the third instalment of the trilogy trying to make the family business ‘legit’. He pursues this end by ploughing the family’s ill-gotten gains into International Immobiliare, a real estate holding company that is part-owned by the Vatican.
Be the first to comment | January 2012
Debt tired
The festive period tends to brings out the best in people. Most famously, it transformed Charles Dickens’ Ebenezer Scrooge from misanthrope and miser into a spendthrift lover of his fellow creature. And the 2011 celebrations didn’t disappoint.
Be the first to comment | January 2012
Measuring the true cost of Christmas (bah humbug)!
Still looking for a present for your loved one this Christmas? How about a partridge in a pear tree? Thanks to a price index modelled on the popular Christmas carol The Twelve Days of Christmas, you’ll be able to see at a glance if such a gift lies within your budget.
Be the first to comment | December 2011
Chart porn: spicing up every economist’s day
It is not often that a series of squiggly lines can set a newsroom on fire. Earlier this week on Newsnight, a leading British current affairs show, top commentators selected their favourite economics charts of 2011. Balance sheet charts, bond yields, CDS spreads – you name it – they all made an appearance. Curiously, however, excitement and passionate arguments were also flying through the air.
Be the first to comment | December 2011
FT journalists: going once, twice – SOLD!
Journalism has always been a competitive trade. But now the Financial Times has taken it one step further. The business newspaper has set up eBay auctions for readers to pitch bids in the hope of winning a quiet dinner with one of its 25 star journalists in a high-end restaurant. Among the revered list are some journalistic heavy hitters such as Gillian Tett and Martin Wolf. And, in keeping with the Christmas spirit, all proceeds go to a charitable cause.
Be the first to comment | December 2011

Dashboard sign in