Following the Financial Services Authority's decision to investigate London-based Goldman Sachs International, it is worth recalling how successful the operation has been since John Thornton came over from the US to set it up in 1988.

From a standing start, Goldman Sachs International boosted revenues to a peak of $10.3bn (€7.6bn) in less than 20 years: a tribute to its awesome reputation and marketing muscle. At the peak of the credit boom in 2006, the average wage per employee was $999,000, although by 2008 this fell back to $511,000.