Chasing Goldman Sachs : how the masters of the universe melted Wall Street down-- and why they'll take us to the brink again / Suzanne McGee

Includes bibliographical references and index.

From utility welcome to the casino: the morphing of Wall Street -- Building better--and more profitable--mousetraps -- What's good for Wall Street is good for-- Wall Street: how Wall Street became its own best client -- To the edge of the abyss-- and beyond: flying too close to the sun -- "You eat what you kill" -- The most terrifying four-letter word imaginable -- Washington versus Wall Street -- Too big to fail; too small to thrive? -- Chasing Goldman Sachs?

You know what happened during the financial crisis--now it is time to understand why the financial system came so close to falling over the edge of the abyss and why it could happen again. Journalist Suzanne McGee examines the forces that transformed Wall Street from its traditional role as a capital-generating and economy-boosting engine into a behemoth operating with only its own short-term interests in mind and with reckless disregard for the broader financial system. Wall Street is as important to the economy and the overall functioning of our society as our electric and water utilities--but it doesn't act that way. The financial system has been saved, but as long as the mind-set of "chasing Goldman Sachs" lingers, it will not have been reformed. As banking undergoes its biggest transformation since the Great Depression, McGee shows where it stands today and points to where it needs to go next.--From publisher description.