There is an inexorable drive on both sides of the Atlantic to finalise new rules, regulations and laws to place the financial system on a sounder footing. But in their zeal to act, politicians and regulators are looking through the wrong end of the telescope. Too much attention is being paid to maintaining a status quo that allows banks to continue engaging in the full range of activities to which they have become accustomed – admittedly under a number of regulatory constraints – without dealing with the fundamental causes of today's critical difficulties.
为了巩固金融体系的基础,大西洋两岸都拿出了不可阻挡的劲头,试图制定新的规则、监管规定和法律。但行动热情高涨的政治家和监管者正从望远镜的错误一端看问题。他们太过强调维持现状,使得银行能够继续从事自己所习惯的全套业务——当然,是要受到一些监管方面的限制——而未从根源上解决当前最紧要的问题。