Finance & economics | The City and Brexit

London’s reign as the world’s capital of capital is at risk

Rival European financial centres are seeking to steal its crown

|FRANKFURT, LONDON AND PARIS

A WELL-KNOWN stockmarket sell signal is a company splurging on flashy new headquarters. It might then be time to go short the City of London. From the Shard, the tallest building in the European Union, the view is of a crowded skyline of fellow concept skyscrapers. There is the Gherkin, the Cheesegrater, the Walkie Talkie and, rising in their midst, 22 Bishopsgate, which will be the Square Mile’s tallest and most capacious tower. The building frenzy is even accelerating. Londoners are waiting to hear if the 1,000-foot Tulip—with a design that many contend is more phallic than floral—will be approved.

This article appeared in the Finance & economics section of the print edition under the headline “City under siege”

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