27th July: Out of the Shadows

Not long ago, I had a brush with (career) death. I almost blew my cover.

July 20th, 2009: Everybody is a little greedy

As the recession has intensified, the general public has been quick to hurl insults not only at...

July 13th, 2009: Against Impossible Odds

When I was a little girl, I was taught that if I worked hard and played honest, I would get...

July 6th, 2009: Hot in the City

It turned very hot and heavy in the City last week – and I’m not talking about the weather.

June 29th, 2009: The Nemesis

I have a kind of "nemesis" in the City - a hotshot trader who started off on the same graduate...

June 22nd, 2009: Insider Trading

Last week, I found myself thinking about how much the City has changed last June: I’d just...

June 15th, 2009: Man Vs. The Corporation

In the world of literature, conflicts tend to emerge in three domains: Man vs. Nature, Man vs....

June 8th, 2009: Bye-Bye, Green Shoots

Last week, I gingerly made my way to a client meeting down the streets encircling Liverpool...

June 1st, 2009: Portentously Replacable

Upon returning from a business trip last week where I was forced not only to fly economy but...

May 18th, 2009: Dusting off the Whistle

As I write my column each week, I sometimes pause to question: Do my confessions supply a...

May 11th, 2009 - Conspir-City Theories

Conspiracy theories tend to flourish after traumatic events – think 9-11, or the Princess Di...

April 27th, 2009 - Taxing Expectations

We in the City like to call it a “spine-chilling war on the rich.” Last week the Chancellor went...

Unwelcome Advances - April 20th, 2009

We’ve all got it - the mysterious text after a night out. It perhaps says something like, “your...

Successfully Entrapped - April 6th, 2009 It’s a very peculiar feeling to be young and work in the City. Here I am, a corporate drone, and...
Bad Enough to Eat - March 30th, 2009

It’s comical in retrospect, but I entered the City for security. Some girls are drawn to men...

Dramatic City Scores - March 23rd, 2009

As the City lurches from one explosive scandal to another, I feel as if I’m not so much working...

Stripped of Morals - March 16th, 2009

I was a very naughty last week. But then, I have had precious few opportunities to behave badly...

One-Way? That's Just the Ticket - March 9th, 2009

Whoever said, “The man who’s tired of London is tired of life” obviously never worked in the...

The Financial Non-Authority - March 2nd, 2009

For all those laid-off bankers seeking jobs, look no further! The FSA is on a hiring spree,...

Let the Ladies Sort It Out - February 23rd, 2009

Last week, I discovered that yet another one of my clients had lied about having money with...

The City's Change of Beat - February 16th, 2009

I hung out with my 5-year old cousin last weekend, a precocious little chap. I told him I may...

Boy Meets Girl ... February 9th, 2009

With Valentines’ Day around the corner – that annual couple’s extravaganza that glibly reminds...

Groundhog Day - February 2nd, 2009

Well it’s Groundhog Day… again. We all look to that fuzzy, pear-shaped rodent to tell us whether...

From Heroes to Zeros, and Back - January 26th, 2009 It’s been another dismal week, as City institutions take yet another step down that staircase to...
Begging For Mercy - January 19th, 2009

Interviewing in the City has always been a horrific experience. But now that the recession is in...

That Meddling Kid - January 12th, 2009

Boys will be boys, eh? In the fully aged City of London, many boys refuse to grow up. On the...

All Bets Off As We Sink - January 5th, 2009

My inbox spills over around this time each year with outrageous analyst recommendations, “Hot...

Yes But, No Butt - December 22nd, 2008

Ah, the company Christmas party. It seems that even in recessions, debauchery dies hard....

Yes But, No Butt - December 22nd, 2008

Ah, the company Christmas party. It seems that even in recessions, debauchery dies hard....

The City's Deteriorating Mental Health - December 15th, 2008

They say the path to hell is paved with good intentions. But when it comes to stalkers, how does...

The Crunch that Stole Christmas - December 8th, 2008

You’re a mean one, Mr. Crunch.

Pregnant Pause Needed At Work: December 1st, 2008

‘Hanging in there” has become the City’s most over-used phrase. People have started muttering it...

Split the Bill? Never!: 24th November, 2008

The credit crisis has affected us City girls and boys in more ways than are immediately obvious...

Snipes, Gripes and Old Stereotypes: November 17th, 2008
The Color of the City: November 10th, 2008

Greg Dyke, the ex-director-general of the BBC, once famously described the Beeb as “hideously­...

In Search of Solace: November 3rd, 2008

WITHIN the ruthless world of City finance, if you are lucky enough to find a real friend among...

Words Can Hurt You: October 27th, 2008

IF there’s one word worse than the c-word in City ­circles, it’s the m-word: manipulation. If...

A Charmed Life: October 20th, 2008

It’s been a week now since I lost a million on the markets, and my boss has ­simmered down. I...

A Huge Loss to Bear: October 13th, 2008

I lost a million pounds on Friday. Of course, the markets have been extremely volatile for...

Sexiness of the Square Mile: October 6th, 2008

What can I tell you about the state of the City right now, that you don’t already know?

Gorilla's Shrink Rap: September 29th, 2008

As a City Girl, well tuned into my City Swirl, news travels fast. My Lehman friends, or shall I...

Fowl Play Penalties: September 22nd, 2008

IT was unfathomable! Or at least, statistically implausible. But before our eyes, the banks...

Pass Go, Collect a 12m USD Payoff: September 15th, 2008

I HAD a dream last week. The world was a giant Monopoly board. To the Monopoliers, there was...

A Banking Blitz: September 8th, 2008

It appears that City Boy ditched his Clark Kent daytime camouflage with superhero timing. The...

Indecent Proposal - September 1st, 2008

When 18th-century moral philosopher and father of modern economics Adam Smith wrote: “Man is an...

When the Axe falls, it's Crunch Time - August 18th, 2008

That’s the thing about the credit crunch. Just when you think you’re over the worst, it...

Living it Largeski - August 11th, 2008

As summer reaches its balmy peak, we City folk sashay our way down the wormhole connecting the...

MD's Date With Infamy - August 4th, 2008

Once upon a time, there was a managing director. I won’t go into his biography here, except to...

Work and No Player - July 21st, 2008

If I’ve seen him once, I’ve seen him a million times. After four years of working in the...

Keep It In the Family - July 14th, 2008

Unlike most of the fairer sex, I crave risk. So when I was asked, during my interview to become...

Diamonds are forever - July 7th, 2008

It only takes a person with half a brain for finance to realise the good ol’ pound isn’t going...

Open to all Options - July 6th, 2008

As an analyst, I often base my investment decisions on chart patterns, moving averages or market...

Profile of a she-trader - June 30th, 2008

Unlike most of the fairer sex, I crave risk. So when I was asked, during my interview to become...