The year in quotes...10 of the best

Investment Week rounds up the most memorable quotes from our favourite (and most outspoken) industry commentators throughout 2011.

1. Keith Skeoch, chief executive of Standard Life Investments, said in January: “A return of around 15%, which would see the FTSE touch 6,900, is likely for 2011."

2. In March, shortly after the Japanese earthquake, Warren Buffett had only one thing on this mind: “Something out of the blue like an earthquake, an extraordinary event, really creates a buying opportunity. I have seen that happen in the United States, I have seen that happen around the world. I do not think Japan will be an exception.”

3. Old Mutual Asset Managers' head of fixed income Stewart Cowley offered his thoughts on US borrowing reaching the $9trn mark in May: “US reserves are grotesque and look like an 80 times leveraged hedge fund. No-one would want to buy that, but the country just keeps on unreservedly spending $1.5trn a year.”

4. In July M&G’s Michael Riddell gave his view on the perception EM debt is a safe haven: “If markets think a risk premium of less than 100 basis points is a fair price for a 30-year bond denominated in US dollars that is benchmarked over US teasuries and is issued by a country rated one notch above junk status, then the market is smoking crack."

5. Industry veteran and outspoken investor Jim Rogers spoke out on the eurozone crisis: "Just pumping up and bailing out another bank is not the solution, we need to let the banks fail."