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Good morning The FTSE 100 Index, described by one newspaper this week as “a pocket guide to an ever changing economic world” celebrated its 30th birthday yesterday. Whether the combined values of these 100 companies have gone up or down makes the 6 o’clock news every evening for no real reason other than there has been movement in investments. Much has, of course, changed in what has been a rollercoaster three decades during which the former Head of the Federal Reserve in the United States Alan Greenspan suggested that the London market could be “irrationally exuberant”. I don’t need to rehearse here the scrutiny under which the banking and financial sectors have been under in more recent times. Antony Jenkins, Chief Executive of Barclays, was candid during his stint as guest editor of this programme this week that ongoing and radical reform and a greater degree of transparency remains a priority. But the anniversary of the FTSE 100 combined with recent economic uncertainty merits asking the question: what is investment for?” In Matthew 25, in one of several key parables about money, wealth, possessions and helping the poor, Jesus tells the story of the man who gives to three of his workers different amounts of capital to do with what they will. The one who receives 5 talents – makes 5 more. The one given 2 makes 2 more. But the one who receives, for whatever reason, just one talent in the first place digs a hole and does absolutely nothing. He simply gives it back without any return. Jesus’ point in telling the story is that investing our talents, skills, energy and working hard to create a better place for everyone is a Gospel prerogative. It isn’t an option, he says, to be idle or to expect others to provide for you or to do your work for you - if you are capable of investing your skills and talents. And, for those who have invested well, helping those who rely on you as well as the poor can be a joy. Last year I was invited to meet with a group of young entrepreneurs in the East Riding of Yorkshire – many had invested their skills, time and cash wisely – some producing successful multimillion pound businesses from almost nothing. And in the conversation which I had with them about why people invest, about work/life balance as well as a desire to put something back into the community so that their success helped others - I saw a real glimpse of how ethical and conscientious investment can and does work. Investment can, and in my view, should be about embracing a work ethic, creating wealth and benefitting others.