Thursday, January 29, 2009

Wall Street Bonuses, Despite Crashes


Wall Street Tanked but Bonuses Thrived

By Ken Silverstein

From the New York Times:

By almost any measure, 2008 was a complete disaster for Wall Street — except, that is, when the bonuses arrived. Despite crippling losses, multibillion-dollar bailouts and the passing of some of the most prominent names in the business, employees at financial companies in New York, the now-diminished world capital of capital, collected an estimated $18.4 billion in bonuses for the year.

That was the sixth-largest haul on record, according to a report released Wednesday by the New York State comptroller.

While the payouts paled next to the riches of recent years, Wall Street workers still took home about as much as they did in 2004, when the Dow Jones industrial average was flying above 10,000, on its way to a record high. Some bankers took home millions last year even as their employers lost billions.

Meanwhile Jon Stewart regards "The Financial Capt. Steubing":

1 comment:

Life As I Know It Now said...

I like that picture. I may have to steal it!!!