The good times are rolling again, to judge by the champagne and oysters Insight Investments doled out last week at a party the Royal Exchange, hosted by chief executive Douglas Ferrans.

He wants to turn his firm into one of Europe's top fund providers and took care to ask along plenty of headhunters, clowns on stilts and trapeze artists to drive the point home. A big thank you is due to the shareholders in Insight's owner, banking group HBOS, who ponied up for the event. Let's hope they will be as keen to host one next year.