Thorold Barker, who recently joined the Heard on the Street team at The Wall Street Journal, is one of more than 7,000 influential business and financial journalists in our NewsBios in-depth dossier database. What follows is an entry from April 2005.  To order his full, updated biography, phone us at 1-866-NEWS-070, ext. 2.

Current (4/05):  Mr. Barker was promoted in Februaryfrom deputy editor to head editor of U.S. Lex. He had been named deputy editor of the publication’s leading financial analysis column in November 2003. TheLex column runs daily in each of the Financial Times’ four regional editions(UK, Continental Europe, USA and Asia) of the newspaper. Additionally, as partof the “Lex live” service, FT.com subscribers receive up to six additionalreal-time notes every day, before they appear in print.

The column, which is akin to The Wall Street Journal’s Heardon the Street, provides readers with up to date analysis of global business andmarkets news and trends. It was established in the 1930s by HargreavesParkinson, who went on to become the editor of the Financial Times.Distinguished alumni of the Lex notes includes former FT editors Sir GordonNewton and Richard Lambert, Nigel Lawson, chancellor under Margaret Thatcher,Martin Taylor, former CEO of Barclays Bank, and John Makinson, CEO and chairmanof Penguin.

In his role as editor, Mr. Barker helps lead a team of morethan half a dozen writers in London and New York with an additional writer inAsia.  The commentary does notcarry a byline.  Examples of a fewrecent Lex columns include:

            •“Can you be too clever by half on Wall Street? Itseems that a number of Goldman Sachs' rivals feel that way about the firm'smultiple roles in the New York Stock Exchange merger with Archipelago.” –4/25/05

            •“Valero’s $8 billion acquisition of Premcor could not be better timed.” –4/25/05

            •“As ‘le cost-cutter,’ Carlos Ghosn worked his magic on Nissan Motor.” –4/25/05