- The travails of the Ever Given were a microcosm of the supply chain issues that dogged the global economy all year. How long was the container ship trapped in the Suez Canal?
Six days
2. Take-private deal volumes soared this year, not least in the UK. The battle for Morrisons was the biggest domestic deal, but which firm eventually won out?
Clayton, Dubilier and Rice
3. New listings struggled to capitalise on the equity market boom. According to Dealogic, what proportion of 2021 IPOs worth $1bn (£750m) or more were under water, globally, as of 28 November?
49%
4. Soaring gas prices have led to the collapse of more than 20 British energy suppliers this year, with Bulb Energy the largest and most recent. But what is the name of Bulb’s parent company?
Simple Energy
5. The FTSE 100 again lagged its US counterparts in 2021, but some companies put in impressive showings. Which was its biggest riser as of 13 December?
Ashtead
6. Intellectual property rights hit the mainstream in April as Marks and Spencer’s initiated legal action against Aldi, accusing it of infringing its Colin the Caterpillar cake trademark. Which of these is not a real UK supermarket caterpillar cake?
Clive the Caterpillar
7. A series of probes in the UK and elsewhere have delayed the takeover of chip designer Arm Holdings by Nvidia. Which of the following helped found Arm as a joint venture in 1990?
Acorn Computers
8. Cop26 in November saw renewed focus on business’ net zero commitments. According to investment research house Arabesque, how many FTSE 100 companies did not have any such targets as of this October?
45
9. The ‘meme stock’ craze shook US equity markets at the start of 2021. What was the cumulative increase in retailer GameStop’s share price between 8 and 28 January this year?
2,700%
Who said what?
Joe Biden: "Many people remain unsettled about the economy and we all know why. They see higher prices.”
Elon Musk: “If people don’t have more children, civilization is going to crumble. Mark my words.”
Boris Johnson: “The scotch egg debate will be over because there will be no requirement for alcohol to be accompanied by a substantial meal.”
Cathie Wood: "Are we in a bubble? We couldn't be further from it. The average investor doesn't understand how provocative these next five to 15 years are going to be."
Michael O’Leary: “Business is being hampered by this continuously chopping and changing traffic light system that just causes confusion.”
Charlie Munger: “Of course I hate the bitcoin success…the whole damn development is disgusting and contrary to the interests of civilisation."
Rishi Sunak: "Whilst this last year has been a test unlike any other, that which we are, we are. The fundamentals of our character as a people have not changed."
Angela Merkel: “We are not yet where we need to be. We must and we can implement the Paris Agreement."
Jeff Bezos stepped down as Amazon boss on 5 July, exactly 27 years after founding the tech giant. The company’s annual revenue hit $386bn last year, but what was the equivalent figure for 1997 – the first year in which it listed?
$150m
2. Asos chief executive Nick Beighton left the group in October after six years at the helm. How far has the company’s share price fallen this year, as of 13 December?
52%
3. Angela Merkel left German politics this month after more than a decade as chancellor, to be replaced by Olaf Scholz of the Social Democratic Party. How many years did Merkel spend in the role?
16
4. The 25x25 initiative is bidding to boost the number of female chief executives in the FTSE 100 to 25 by the year 2025. How many are currently in such roles?
9
5. A stop-start year for airlines prompted some to reshuffle their leadership. Which former bank CEO took over as chairman of EasyJet this summer?
Stephen Hester
6. The UK’s Burberry replaced its Italian chief executive with a Brit from an Italian business in October this year. Which company will Jonathan Akeroyd arrive from?
Versace
7. Many companies shifted to hybrid working models in 2021, but not all such moves were smooth. The UK chair of which Big Four accountant quit in February after telling employees to “stop moaning” about working conditions during the pandemic?
KPMG
August this year marked half a century since US president Richard Nixon scrapped the last vestiges of the gold standard. At what price was gold pegged at the time of that announcement?
$35 an ounce
