NOW IT’S HEDGE FUNDS THAT ARE DETERMINED TO DO GOD’S WORK
ALL this chat about bankers “doing God’s work” is clearly catching on with the rest of the financial community.
Across the gusty Atlantic blows word of a hedge fund set up by an Atlanta-based investor, Trebor Chase Brown, who has named his new baby after a particularly pious passage of the Bible.
C3:23 Capital – a long/short equity fund which Brown founded in January with $2m – takes its moniker from Colossians chapter three, verse 23, which reads: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.”
Needless to say, the investment community has so far proved cynical in the extreme.
As a commentator on one US financial blog so succinctly puts it: “These kind of things are usually either genuine but run by painfully optimistic and simple idiots, or affiliation frauds. God doesn’t act through the financial markets. Faith is about enriching your soul, not your pocketbook…”
A tough blow indeed for the rest of the zealous hordes out there hoping to leverage their religious beliefs for future financial gain.
REST IN PEACE
A sad farewell to John Antcliffe, the chief executive of City PR firm Smithfield, who died suddenly and tragically after collapsing at work on Friday.
Antcliffe was one of the best-known spinners in the financial world, having set up Smithfield with John Kiely after 12 years in corporate finance and corporate affairs at Rothschild. The firm now advises an illustrious roster of City companies, including Rothschild itself, accountancy giant KPMG, Arsenal Football Club, Old Mutual Asset Managers and law firm DLA Piper.
“John was a great man, full of life and will be sadly missed by his family, many friends, colleagues and clients,” Smithfield’s directors said in a statement yesterday. “Our thoughts are very much with his family at this time.”
FOOTBALL FEVER
Employers in the City getting edgy about the effect of this summer’s football World Cup on staff productivity should take heed. Apparently, over half of gentlemen and a fifth of ladies intend to watch the games scheduled to take place during office hours whatever the cost, according to a poll by PricewaterhouseCoopers – which is itself a sponsor of England’s bid to host the 2018 World Cup.
“There is huge goodwill to be gained from accommodating flexible working requests or allowing staff to take a couple of hours out to watch the games,” PwC partner Michael Rendell tells me. “With pay rises scarce and bonus pools down, this is a great way to thank and engage staff…”
The Capitalist is sure many a City worker will be only too happy to drink to that.