You might think Mike Webber has everything going his way.
He wins “top analyst” awards, opened his own shop at a time when other equity analysts have lost their jobs and is raising a young family.
And then you see the ball. The one with red and white stripes, over Webber’s shoulder on a trophy shelf in his office.
He cannot hide the truth. Webber is a fan of the English Premier League's Arsenal Football Club.
Given the London team’s pedigree as champions of fan frustration, could it be that Webber is better at picking stocks than he is football clubs?
It just may.
The story starts in Winchester, Virginia, where Webber was dribbling a football at the age of four.
Fast forward to 2010, about the time Webber joined Wells Fargo Securities. All done as a player, Webber found himself playing computer game Fifa “as a stress reliever”.
London calling
He became enamoured with Theo Walcott, the speedy former Arsenal winger. At the same time, Webber started visiting London on business.
Arsenal's stadium was not far, Walcott was there, so…
“I missed the Invincibles,” Webber said, referring to the squad who were 2003/2004 Premier League Champions. I was there the year they sold Samir Nasri to Manchester City [in 2011],” he said glumly.
“By the time I realised what I’d signed up for, it was too late.”
But do not feel too sorry for Webber.
His alma mater, the University of Virginia, won its first National Collegiate Athletic Association title in basketball last April. He has a team-signed ball for that too.
Webber recalls flying back from Shanghai to see their semi-final game in Minneapolis.
Bleary-eyed, he returned to his wife and infant son in Manhattan and watched the triumph two nights later from the comfort of his couch.
“I was in the foetal position in my living room — it was fantastic,” he said. “I’m not allowed to have any complaints about college basketball for a couple of decades.”
Likely a good thing. For Webber will always have Arsenal.
