The Most Famous Ponytail In The European Financial World Is No More

Sweden's Finance Minister, Anders Borg, is a big figure in the European financial world. His anti-Keynesian policies, which seem somewhat out of place in Sweden, have been credited with helping bolster his country's remarkable economic success in recent years. In 2011, the Financial Times gave him top position in every category when ranking Europe's finance ministers.

Perhaps the most notable feature of the relatively conservative politician, however, has always been his ponytail and earring.

Thus people were shocked when he showed up to a talk on the state of the economy Monday with a shorn head. Stunned reporters tweeted photos:

ah man kan säga att det är klippt för anders borg atm pic.twitter.com/hXC8LkAkiK

- skitjobbig (@jonielol) November 4, 2013

FLASH! BREAKING NEWS! STOPPA PRESSARNA! ANDERS BORG HAR KLIPPT AV HÄSTSVANSEN!!! pic.twitter.com/sk6sg14W63

- Lovisa Ohlson (@ganzgenau) November 4, 2013

"I just wanted shorter hair," Borg told reporters.

According to the Local, there was speculation amongst Swedish journalists that the haircut had a fiscal motive. Borg's press secretary Caroline Karlsson has denied this.