Revised and updated, this is a comprehensive guide to the City - its markets, mechanisms and players. 'The City' provides reliable, relevant and up-to-date coverage of what goes on in the City, its global importance and its role as a the leading financial centre in Europe. Individual chapters focus on the City's various wholesale international financial markets and institutions - from the money markets to the securities industry, commodities to shipping, the Bank of England to the Financial Services Authority. Other chapters review its historical development and the scandals that have dogged its reputation. Finally, the book looks at the outlook for the City and the challenges it faces - the current downturn, the impact of developments in communications technology and the threat from Wall Street. In addition, there are appendices giving details of City institutions and organisations, profiles of the principal City players and key City events from the late seventeenth century.