According to Standard Chartered’s Alper Kilic, covering the Nordic beat over the summer months is the best gig in the loan market.
It’s just a short flight to the long sunny days in Sweden or Norway, where most business is carried out on yachts while sipping loganberry juice (probably). And it doesn’t hurt that there are a lot of good looking people in that part of the world — we would pick a Swedish beach over Blackpool pier anytime.
Although the beautiful summer days are twinned with brutally long winters, where sunlight is a rare commodity and yachts are nowhere to be seen, Kilic reminded us.
The BAML team certainly know how to make the most of the season. David Pepper took his crew out for fish and chips one Friday in August; we can picture Pepper kicking off his shoes, rolling up his suit trousers and wearing a knotted handkerchief to keep the sun off his head.
Unfortunately for ICBC’s Benny Zachariah, summer was a far cry, as he boarded a flight to Germany for a business trip on Friday night, with the flu.
It's time for the market to put away the bucket and spade and get ready for a busy autumn.