On 4th December Alex Ferguson wrote:

This year's been an interesting one. We've managed to avoid a bloodbath in the stock markets - although we've heard enough about "God's Work" and investment bankers' bonuses to last us a lifetime. The reinsurance sector managed to avoid a windy season, although rates might not be wonderful at the start of the year (the latest we heard were flat to 5% down), the losses haven't incinerated balance sheets - something that we're thankful for.

As for Reinsurance Towers, we've tried to educate you in the joys of Queens Park Rangers, Penn State, and all things college football, as well as trying to put a brake on the optimism and laugh at the words "green" and "shoots" and "recovery", but we've pity of banging the drum and clanging the cymbal.

This week we're sticking strictly to our awards. We ask that you don't take them too seriously.

Good year for: AIG. If we're honest, 2008 couldn't get any worse. In 2009, the share price came back (a bit), the CEO's position looks good (at the moment), and there's peace with former CEO Hank Greenberg. Oh, and the split-up of its two major businesses is going pretty well too.

Bad year for: AIG staff. No bonuses for you this Christmas. And the revolving doors of the insurance world seem to be pretty solidly shut, too.

Good year for: Cat bonds. Cat bonds are back, baby! We've seen a glut of them recently.

Bad year for: Retro reinsurance: Apparently it's too expensive - especially with all that capital floating around.

Good year for: The Lloyd's Exchange: It got the Reinsurance Reader Award for Innovator of the Year, didn't it? Oh, and it might be changing the way people broke and underwrite stuff too. Robots next!

Bad year for: Cat bond exchanges. The highly-trumpeted ICAP-JLT cat bond exchange joint venture fell on its knees after only putting through about 50 trades. Ouch.

Good year for: Lloyd's insurers: No US hurricane season and better investments meant that things have gone from "challenging" to "hopeful".

Bad year for: Lloyd's brokers. The free-flowing capital has meant that brokers have had to cut fees and brokerage in an effort to snatch business from each other. Will there ever be a bottom to this?

Good year for: Property. Rates might not be wonderful at the moment, but it hasn't been a bloodbath where losses are concerned. Which is a good thing.

Bad year for: Casualty. When are we going to see rates actually go up?

Good year for: AM Best. They didn't get pilloried like the other three ratings agencies over the sub-prime disaster.

Bad year for: S&P, Moody's and Fitch With Warren Buffett dumping stock in Moody's, public opinion of the 'Big Three' being at an all-time low, and regulators wanting to remove any power that they have, it's not been a wonderful 2009 for ratings agencies.

Good year for: Hurricanes. They all seemed to miss the USA

Bad year for: Typhoons. Sadly, they didn't miss Asia.

Good year for: Reinsurance. We gave out a ton of awards, broke a ton of stories, and tried to make you laugh during the Weekly. We'd like to think that we gave you an education on American sports, Queens Park Rangers (who play Middlesborough at home on Saturday, by the way), and our feelings on a New World Order.

Bad year for: Armageddon. Didn't happen this year. Next year maybe?