Even now, someone somewhere is penning The End of Capitalism. Experience tells us snappy book titles should be treated with caution. The global financial system will never be the same again. But just as history survived the collapse of communism, so the market economy will weather the demise of Bear Stearns, Lehman, Merrill Lynch and HBOS.
Wise after the calamity, central bankers, market regulators and the rest are already saying what are needed are tighter rules, closer oversight and a premium on sobriety. The rest of us may ask why it has taken so long for these guardians of the system to stir from their complacency. Doubtless we will be told in turn that this is no time for recriminations. The people who presided over this mess must now be trusted to save the global financial system from their past mistakes.
Some of the conclusions are easily predicted. Investment bankers, to the extent there are any left, will see the odd million or five lopped from their salaries and bonuses. Capital ratio requirements for financial institutions will rise, and incentive structures will be re-calibrated to damp risk-taking.