The year has been dominated by one event. But there was more to 2020 than lockdowns and pandemics. Test your recall of financial events of the past 12 months with our quiz. Compiled by Tom Saunders
Which of these nations spent the most per head on Covid-19 relief? A) Britain , B) US, C) China,
What was the highest price bitcoin reached this year (as of 18 December)? A) Above $19,000, B) Above $23,000, C) Above $36,000
Which two countries threatened to block the EU’s Covid-19 budget?
Which tax did the UK’s Office of Tax Simplification put forward for a “major overhaul”?
For how many days was Sajid Javid the UK’s chancellor of the Exchequer? A) 100 days, B) 310 days, C) 204 days,
To the nearest million, how many claims had been made under the UK’s job furlough scheme by mid-December?
In total, how much was spent by the Republican and Democratic parties on the 2020 presidential election? A) Almost $8bn, B) Almost $4bn, C) Almost $14bn
Which famous tennis player edged past footballers Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to become the highest-paid athlete this year for the first time, according to Forbes?
Which of Matt Hancock’s constituents landed a contract to produce vials for Covid-19 tests, despite never having produced medical supplies before? A) His pub landlord, B) His cleaner, C) His priest
To what percentage of GDP did chancellor Rishi Sunak cut the UK’s overseas aid budget?
People
Warren Buffet invested in one of the largest producers of which commodity for the first time this year, after consistently denigrating it as a useless asset?
Which high-profile publican told staff that they should feel free to take jobs at Tesco while the pubs were closed down during the first lockdown?
Shinzo Abe stepped down this year. He was Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, with two stints in the role. His second lasted eight years – how long was his first?
Who did Joe Biden pick as his Treasury Secretary?
Who was the highest-paid musician of 2020 (clue: he also made an ill-fated bid for the presidency this year)?
How much did Michael Bloomberg spend on his presidential nomination campaign? A) $200m, B) $500m, C) More than $1bn
In the year that Donald Trump was elected President, how much did he pay in federal income tax, according to The New York Times? A) $750, B) $7,500, C) $75,000
Which Nobel Prize-winning musician sold his song catalogue to Universal Music for $300m?
Which ex-pizza delivery driver became one of the ten richest Britons under 30, through his company Gymshark, according to The Sunday Times?
Which ex-Bank of England governor joined Canada’s Brookfield Asset Management to lead their ESG strategy?
Quotes
Put the words with the person who said them
“We’ve got a deal that’s oven-ready. We’ve just got to put it in at gas mark four, give it 20 minutes and Bob’s your uncle.”
“The long-term health of free enterprise capitalism will depend on delivering profit with purpose.”
“Going to Pizza Express in Woking is an unusual thing for me to do, a very unusual thing for me to do. “
“We have contained this, I won’t say airtight but pretty close to airtight.
Alibaba founder Jack Ma was set to preside over the largest initial public offering (IPO) in history for his financial services company before Chinese regulators forced its cancellation in November. What was the company called?
In November, Philip Green’s Arcadia group went into administration. Which of these brands was not involved? A) Top Shop, B) Dorothy Perkins, C) BHS
Which German company was exposed as a fraud by the FT, in the face of legal threats from the German financial watchdog?
What was the last major film to be released in CineWorld before all branches were shut down in October?
Which social media company did the US government threaten to ban this year?
Which company listed in the US this year, taking the record for largest-ever software IPO?
Which social media company was sued by US federal regulators along with over 45 state prosecutors over antitrust concerns?
Which stay-at-home fitness stock, listed in the US, plunged on the day that Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine was announced?
Which Chinese communications firm was subject to a purchase ban by the UK government this year?
Which TV broadcaster dropped out of the FTSE 100 for the second time in its history?
Markets
The UK government sold gilts at a negative interest rate for the first time ever this year, but which month were they sold? A) March, B) May, C) November
In April, which normally valuable commodity literally could not be given away for a brief period of time?
Earlier this month, which company became the largest in history to be added to the S&P 500 index in the US?
Which level did the Dow Jones index break for the first time this year, in the wake of the US election and after Covid-19 vaccines were announced? A) 25,000, B) 30,000, C) 35,000
Which FTSE 100-listed stock has been the best performer this year, more than doubling in the year-to-date as of December 18?
Which metal, often used in “white gold” jewellery saw its price go from a low of $2,000 per ounce to over $14,000?
By 31 March, the FTSE 100 had recorded its largest quarterly fall since which infamous markets event?
Which metal, widely associated with the hoped-for green electrification “revolution”, hit a seven-year high this year? A) Platinum, B) Lithium, C) Copper
According to the IMF, which country will be the only major economy to grow this year?
1As part of Covid-19 relief, the US government sent money direct to millions of US households. How much? A) $500, B) $1,000, C) $1,200
Answers
Money
A) Britain
B) Above $23,000
Poland and Hungary
Capital gains tax
C) 204 days
Ten million (9.9 million, according to the Office for National Statistics)
C) Almost $14bn, according to US think tank, the Centre for Responsive Politics
Roger Federer
A) His pub landlord
0.5%
People
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Tim Martin of Wetherspoons – he said former staff would get priority on future applications to rejoin the pub chain
One year, from 2006 to 2007
Janet Yellen
Kanye West
C) $1bn – more than all the other Democratic candidates combined
A) $750
Bob Dylan
Ben Francis
Mark Carney
Quotes
B Boris Johnson
D Lionel Barber (ex-FT editor)
A Prince Andrew
C Larry Kudlow (on Covid-19, in February)
Companies
Ant Group
C) BHS – Arcadia had already sold the company in 2015
Wirecard
Tenet
TikTok
Snowflake
Facebook
Peloton
Huawei
ITV
Markets
B) May – three-year gilts sold at a yield of -0.003%
Oil – prices turned negative
Tesla
B) 30,000
Scottish Mortgage
Rhodium
1987’s Black Monday
C) Copper
China
C) $1,200
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