Barack Obama, who became the 44th US President this week, acknowledged the crisis he faces in a speech on Sunday: “In the course of our history only a handful of generations have been asked to confront challenges as serious as the ones we face right now. Our nation is at war. Our economy is in crisis." Financial News asks senior Americans, many of whom work in the European securities industry, for their views on the new US President.

•Kevin Adeson, global head of leveraged finance at HSBC, said: "An opportunity to feel proud again!"