Under the counter

Bring me sunshine
Welcome then to all of you who have washed up on the shores of Blighty in time for London's international derivatives week, quite my favourite few days in the calendar. And the good news this year is that not only will you get the chance to mingle with all your favourite futures figures as always but there are also two other things to look forward to. First up, London has been basking in the glow of a heat wave so unusual that a young Australian of my acquaintance was forced to concede that it was not un-akin to the weather in her own homeland (though she did mutter "in autumn" under her breath immediately afterwards).

While my long range weather forecasting is about as accurate as my short range horse running speed...