At Hedge Royale, the two-day celebration of hedge funds, a daring Thames riverbank rescue provided the distraction. A young man had decided to take a stroll along the water’s edge, but found himself trapped by the approaching tide. Unfortunately for him (but less so for the conference delegates) the water caught up with him just as he reached a point overlooked by Old Billingsgate, the former fish market and venue for Hedge Royale.
The ensuing rescue by the Thames river police complemented perfectly the conference’s James Bond theme, which included tuxedoed organizers and a Shirley Bassey soundtrack. Dotted around the venue were banners incorporating hedge funds into titles of Bond films. ‘A view to a hedge fund’ and ‘From hedge with love’ made the cut, but inexplicably there was no sign of ‘Thunder-hedge fund’ or ‘Hedgepussy’. There can’t have been room.
