Michael Hughes spent 16 years in the trading rooms of the City. He worked for Samuel Montagu, Kidder Peabody and Amro Bank. Made redundant some 10 years ago he now runs a holiday business on the Pembrokeshire coast.
We get some indication of why Hughes left the City in his novel, No Deal. Main character Peter Talbot is having a mid-life crisis, enduring endless aggravation at home. He argues constantly with his wife, never sees his children and works too many hours.
Hughes describes his redundancy as "fortunate" so it's not too fanciful to suppose that the author found the markets' transformation after Big Bang uncongenial. In the book, Eurobonds are dangerous instruments traded by yobs. "Gritty" is an adjective that can be used to describe a ruinous futures position. And attractive women are "tasty".
However, for someone glad to be out of the rat race, Hughes has a nostalgic view of his old job - the rush of trading, the constant battle with management - and of course the sex. Casual and impersonal liaisons litter the pages of No Deal in a way that should probably worry Mrs Hughes.