Roger Crombie

Many of us have heard variations of the old joke about how many attorneys, doctors, etc. it takes to change a light bulb. InsideBermuda has a new version: How many representatives of Bermuda-based Orbis Investment Management Ltd. does it take before they allow a member of the public to view their share register? Answer: One to take the inquiry, one to refuse it, one to give a ridiculous interpretation of the law, one to field an inquiry from an investigative journalist, one to field an inquiry from a regulator, and one to capitulate.

The British decision, announced a couple of weeks ago, to share sovereignty over Gibraltar with Spain has caused at least one Bermudian commentator fits of apoplexy over possible implications for Bermuda. Roger Crombie writes a weekly finance column called "Penny Wise" in the Mid-Ocean News, a sister publication of Bermuda's only daily newspaper, The Royal Gazette. Penny Wise is a mix of financial advice and interpretations of current economic events.