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Are young reckless males being unfairly blamed for the mess?

Ever since someone discovered that testosterone fuels traders on the way up and cortisol sucks the life out of them on the way down, it's been fashionable to blame the financial crisis on men, particularly young ones.

Peter Bazalgette, he of Big Brother fame, is the latest to go down this route. In a letter to the Financial Times last week, he suggested that -

The 10-15 year span of business cycles the time it takes each new generation of over-testosteronised young men to reach positions of influence in markets. They are typically in their late 20s or early 30s and know no fear because, critically, they have not previously experienced a downturn.

Bazalgette follows in the footsteps of more esteemed financial commentators such as hedge fund blogger Fintag, who only recently suggested that -

"It is evident that the crash was precipitated by the people under 30."

Do you agree? Would more of the over 40s really have prevented this? Or would they have been too busy sipping Merlot and worrying about school fees to have made a real difference?

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AUTHORSarah Butcher Global Editor
  • Tr
    Trader
    11 March 2009

    Also he did add to the debate, he said the problem was due to the assumptions made by many of the risk managers/traders when creating their products(i.e. assuming a normal distribution), which he could thus exploit since they turned out to be incorrect. Which is clearly very plausible, as with the other assumption that credit traders made that houses would never fall much in value so any deficit could be recovered by foreclosing and selling on the market. Also the assumption that from a probability perspective combining low grade and high grade mortgages would not cause a highly correlated shock wave of defaults.
    Anonymous is clearly very intelligent, and true to his 'ghetto' roots, as am I. I love looking around the trading floor and imagining toffs like you growing up or trying to live in my council estate neighborhood and envisaging how you would get eaten alive! I leave you with a quote from the late Tupac Shakur: "You see you wouldn't ask why the rose that grew from the concrete why it had damaged petals".
    So go bruv u needz to chillax wiv yah posh boi shiznit b4 we call our homboyz and rush yo punk azz on of deze dayz
    Thug Life.

  • Tr
    Trader
    11 March 2009

    Banker, get off your personally erected pedalstool, open your eyes and see life for what it is. So what if 'anonymous' decides to post an obviously farcical humorous post in his 'ghetto' speak, let him be. We do not all come from an affluent upbringing where we are sent to the likes of Eton, followed on by Oxbridge. Complemented by an old boy network that streamlines our ascension to the world of Banking. Some of us had to fight an uphill battle consisting of many wars, aiming to beat a society that had expected us to fail, which will inevitabely cause such people to be 'rough around the edges', i.e. have an un-polished command of the English language which you and many of your 'brethren' demand.
    I have met 100's of managers like you who make their hiring on firing decisions not necessarily on merit, but on who they like the most. Which is often based on how they speak, and their hobbies and interests(i.e. golf/polo/wine tasting/brown nosing). 'Anonymous' most likely managed to get into this incredibly competitive industry without an elite upbringing(middle class parents+private/grammar school+parental contacts), it is very unlikely you could do the same.

  • Ba
    Bankerisreallya.........
    11 March 2009

    Banker your facade has been smashed.

    I'm guessing you are one of the old grey hair Mgt types who doesn't really grasp what's going on around them but wants to ensure they stay atop of the cash-tree by enforcing heirachy based on an unquestioning adherence to seniority (regardless of how clueless they are) & putting the fear of god into the younger staff so they never think about scratching beneath a very shallow surface.

    Fear redundancy like the plague as your sort is incapable of reinventing itself.

  • Sa
    Say No to Po-Faced Banker
    11 March 2009

    Well I understood what Anonymous said and got the joke Banker but I have to agree with you, some exclusivity should exist - could start by excluding the likes of you who are still of the impression that you are better than others and have more of the likes of Analyst and The Old Man for being spot on, Anonymous for the chuckle factor and dear old Henry for lunchtime laughs!!

  • Ba
    Banker
    11 March 2009

    "Oh btw my main priority is to make money off the back of fools such as you, not the grammatical structure of my sentences...or would you prefer if yo homeboy speak like dis...peace out blood...Thug life!!!"

    I always knew the Daily Mail had a loyal readership!

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