Welcome back after the Christmas and new year holidays. The good news is that the in-laws have finally gone just as you were on the verge of calling your local psychiatrist. The Christmas presents you did not want have been placed in the Xmas 2002 squirrel cupboard for redistribution to family members whom you hope you will never see all year. The only clouds on the horizon are those credit card bills, which will arrive by parcel post, and the fact that, with the main bonus season once again upon us, there will inevitably be some disappointments - just count the times when you were paid 25% less than the minimum you genuinely deserved. Let's get straight into some of those individual bonuses. Without a proper investment banking and equities business, Barclays Capital always looks like the entry for the Greyhound Derby that only has three legs. However, this is not a house that likes to hide its public relations lights under a bushel. Matt Barrett, the big banana at parent Barclays Bank, leads the way with more photo calls than Naomi Campbell or David Beckham. However, let's not hear a word against Matt O'Barrett, who is photogenic, becoming more Irish by the minute and who very nearly made our Bankers of the Year awards list for 2001 - due out in our Review of the Year 2001 next Friday.
January 04, 2002
