In the 1980s a combination of financial innovation and cultural storytelling turned bond trading — once a conservative, coupon‑clipping profession — into a high‑status route to massive private wealth. That social elevation legitimized new forms of financial extraction and reshaped political and institutional expectations about who should run the economy.
— Understanding how markets acquire cultural prestige explains why financial interests win policy influence and why debt‑based profit models spread despite systemic risks.
Arnold Kling
2026.10.04
100% relevant
Tom Wolfe's decision to make his protagonist a Wall Street bond trader (and the 'crumbs' metaphor) as discussed in the article; the era's actors include Michael Milken and the junk‑bond innovations of the 1980s.
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