Lee Thomas

When Lee Thomas's plans to view an eclipse in Munich were almost thwarted by heavy cloud cover, he simply hired a helicopter to take him high enough to get a clear view. If only it were so easy to see what was going to happen next in the bond markets, Thomas's job would be as much of a pleasure as his favourite pastime.

As global bond strategist at US fixed-income manager Pimco, which has over $274 billion in assets under management, Thomas is only too aware that the bond markets have not been a pretty sight lately.

How they'll look over the coming months is a question that occupies him each morning as he drives to work at Pimco's global headquarters in Newport Beach, California. "I spend a lot of time thinking about the macroeconomic situation and wondering whether the economy will implode," he says.