THERE are two radically different tales doing the rounds about HSBC, Europe’s biggest lender by market value. The first says that HSBC, deep down, is still an emerging-markets operation run by rugged types who disdain the sorcery of modern finance. Under the temporary grip of an evil spell in 2003 they bought Household, an American [...]

An extract from Google Financials with four of the larget UK players in the Investment banking and financial services based back to a relative price at the start of September ’08. Those relative losses in value over one month make for painful reading… RBS – buy at £1.50

Firstly this nifty bit of photoshopping celebrating the coupling of Lloyds TSB + Halifax And this little beauty on the might of the US dollar

“If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you; If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; . . . If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two impostors just the same . [...]