Some literary critics argue that among all the books ever written there are really only seven basic plot types: tragedy, comedy, quest, voyage and return, rebirth, overcoming the monster, and rags to riches. At times over the past three decades, the investment banking industry has been dominated by just one: the Americans are taking over the world.

In recent years there has certainly been a selection of diverting narratives: the credit crunch (a tragedy in which the heroes are undone by the fatal flaw of hubris), regulation (overcoming the monster) and the European sovereign debt crisis (riches to rags). But, for those in the industry, even these important chapters are beginning to feel like subplots in a longer running saga.