A sigh of relief for all the Olivers amongst you today as the name finally comes off the top of the most popular names for boys list after an eight year stint. What do you reckon replaced it? I can promise you after the royal headlines of the last few years it wasn’t Andrew. And we KNOW it wasn’t Courteney. Noah the new name topping the boys list and it has been appropriately biblical out there on the weather front today.
Ah yes. It’s all coming back to me now. I’ve had a few months away from the Snapshot but the old feelings don’t take long to return. The angst over what to focus on out of all the themes that have emerged over the weekend. The slightly niggling doubt that I shouldn’t be talking about things I don’t fully understand. The chutzpah to talk about them anyway because someone reading this might know even less. (I did say might). So what to focus on?
So a lot of Brits aren’t known for big public displays of emotion but we are world class swallowers of sobs. Olympic standard starers-into-the-distance. Market leaders of the where-on-earth-did-that-come-from strangled voice. These last few days have seen me excel at all three as I join millions of others in processing the loss of our monarch. It’s the quirky stories that give you a little insight into the lady herself that get me the most.
2025 Well we said yesterday that winter was coming but I’m not sure anybody was expecting it to start within twenty four hours of the note. Especially not in this heat. Downside worries for the euro, industrial assets and banks all playing out today as a miss from JP Morgan (-5%) in the US kicked […]
2025 So the question on my mind (and possibly Courteney’s) is whether the Snapshot should take a summer holiday too. August on the beach? Back refreshed and raring to go in September? Pina coladas all round? The one thing stopping us doing that (other than our innate professionalism) is that these markets are not stopping […]
2025 So it’s not that I’m counting but in 88 hours and 25 minutes time I’m due to be taking off on holiday for my two weeker. Not to St Tropez (for the A-listers). Not to Bodrum (for the hipsters). Not even to my own Greek Island (for the bankers). Nope. 14 days at the […]
2025 So it’s getting quite fractious out there. Different camps forming. Some people with very strong views, others huffing that they’re all the same so what’s the point even talking about it. Yes – the What’s the Best Rosé of Summer ‘22 debate is upon us. I’m very happy to hear your favourites. Whispering Angel […]
2025 Right my goodness there’s a lot going on. Where to start. Where to start. Let’s start with China who sparked some life into this market mid-morning on reports the government were mulling $220bn of stimulus via “unprecedented” bond sales. All the usual China plays ripping on that but the details slightly more nuanced given […]
2025 You gotta love PMQs haven’t you. Not quite the punch up that they have in some of those Eastern European parliaments but a decent hour of verbal sparring nonetheless. “There’s so few of you left, it’s like the Charge of the Lightweight Brigade” and “this could be the first example of the sinking ship […]
2025 Those of you who know me probably wouldn’t peg me as a union man and I’d have been inclined to agree with you until Mick Lynch – the straight talking leader of the RMT – popped onto the scene a couple weeks ago. You may not agree with his politics but you have to […]