A typical caricature of an investment banker is an expensively besuited man with a briefcase, Breitling watch and mobile phone, evoking an image of wealth, refinement and arrogance. It's not a man wearing a camel-hair coat and a lot of gaudy jewellery. But perhaps it should be since the business of a banker is akin to that of the stereotypical second-hand car salesman in London's East End. Both banker and car dealer preach quality and respect for the client but both are middlemen, squeezing profit from the two sides of a trade.
May 01, 2002