The market’s Euro-scepticism led gyrations were only mirrored in the UK last week by the polarity of extra-curricular activities attended by some of those working in UK financial services.

On Wednesday night hundreds of financial services folk flocked to the Royal Horticultural Society Chelsea Flower Show to marvel at the floral beauty on display in West London, while over in the Eastern quarters of the city other people were busy swapping their suits and ties for boxing gloves and gum-shields.

Any link between the two events went largely unnoticed, but the fact the annual Square Up In The City took place on the same evening as the Chelsea Flower Show (two seemingly contrasting events) must be mildly ironic – if for no other reason than the fact markets have been at opposing extremes over the past week.

OK, so a flower and a fight aren’t naturally at opposite ends of the same spectrum… but the peace movement of the 60s and 70s was synonymous with flower wearing and pacifism; and boxing is, to many, a barbaric sport.

Square Up In The City is an annual charity event and is hosted by industry rag, Investment Week.

This year 14 fund managers and banking-types went toe-to-toe in seven bouts of three rounds to raise money for their own respective charities, and, one suspects, to release a year’s worth of pent-up market frustration.

M&G Investments, one of Europe’s largest active asset managers with over £174 billion, was the major sponsor of the flower show, while F&C Investments, an active fund manager of £88 billion was the sponsor of Square Up.

It is naturally a bigger event, with a number of corporate boxes taken and attended by dignitaries, media and staff.

But if the idea of looking at lovely perennials, shrubs, trees and blossoming roses isn’t quite what is required, given the strains and stresses of working in an industry under pressure, then perhaps you can take more pleasure from highlights of the 2009 Square Up In The City (the 2010 highlights are yet to be uploaded to its website)…