A welcome return to City inboxes as Louise Cooper goes it alone
WELL-KNOWN City commentator Louise Cooper has left BGC Partners and gone solo by starting her own financial consultancy business CooperCity.
Cooper tells The Capitalist that despite “being insane given the current environment” she is looking forward to the flexibility of being her own boss and will still be aiming to inject a little humour into financial commentary.
Speaking on George Osborne yesterday she said the chancellor mustn’t depress private business, but has a little room to move. Her advice? “Do a Grace Jones and keep swinging those hips, George…”
Cooper joked: “If I can’t make a living then I hope that Sainsbury’s will take me on as a shelf stacker.”
The punters over at Paddy Power have been having a bit of fun ahead of George Osborne’s Autumn Statement, which will be delivered today. The bookmaker reckons that the chancellor is most likely to deliver his speech wearing a bright blue tie. Blue is the 7/2 favourite ahead of 4/1 green and 9/2 red. The firm is offering 66/1 if Osborne “does a Jeremy Paxman” and ditches the tie altogether. The current long shot at 500/1 is that the chancellor will address the nation dressed in – wait for it – a onesie. Punters can also gamble on how many sips of water he takes, and whether or not Ken Clarke will fall asleep.
Time to get into the Christmas spirit at Spitalfields this evening. The NSPCC is holding its annual Carols by Candlelight event at Christ Church, which The Capitalist is told will be a modern twist on the traditional carol service, with a choir and special musical performances. The concert, which raises funds for the charity ChildLine, will also have readings given by Sir Michael Caine, who will be reading from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens; and Sir David Frost, who will be reading John Betjeman’s Christmas. Tickets can be booked online at www.nspcc.org.uk/londoncarolsbycandlelight