STEPHEN CRANSTON: What racy bond manager David Zahn has to say about the global economy

This week is the rentrée across Europe, when schools open and offices go back to a normal pace after the humid days of summer. In the US the summer slowdown is usually barely perceptible, but the pace of life will increase, particularly this year with tightly contested midterm elections for the US Congress. And even in Europe the ritual of the rentrée is fading, particularly in those financial services that are internationally aligned, such as asset management. There has been a slowdown in news from the northern hemisphere but I am grateful for the missives Franklin Templeton has sent. I certainly miss its former head of emerging markets, Mark Mobius, who has undoubted style. With his bald head and white suits I thought he would make a perfect James Bond villain (or even a perfect James Bond). But Franklin Templeton certainly has a slew of other quotable sources who have kept the candle burning during the northern summer silly season. David Zahn, head of European fixed interest, is ...