'Clean results' are a weak boast, but Barclays' overhaul deserves time to work

Jes Staley crowed over not very much, but activist Edward Bramson may struggle to stir a shareholder rebellionOne can understand why Jes Staley’s self-satisfied tone might irritate your average activist investor. Barclays’ chief executive unveiled the third-quarter update with a very weak boast. It was the second quarter in a row of “clean results” for Barclays, said Staley proudly. Clean, in this context, means the absence of big bills to cover past bad behaviour or to s