O Banco: Como o Goldman Sachs Dirige o Mundo

by Marc Roche

«Eu faço o trabalho de Deus.» Mesmo que seja suposto ser uma piada, esta frase do diretorexecutivo do Goldman Sachs, Lloyd Blankfein, resume a sede de poder de O Banco: a firma que dirige o mundo no maior secretismo. Por detrás de uma lei do silêncio que nunca alguém ousou quebrar desde a sua fundação em 1868, o Goldman, ou GS, como se diz em Wall Street ou na City londrina - as duas grandes praças financeiras mundiais - pode realmente dominar o planeta? E se a resposta é «sim»? Como? A crise económica que começou no outono de 2008 atirou o Goldman Sachs, para as primeiras páginas dos jornais. O banco está em todo o lado: a falência do banco Lehman Brothers, a crise grega, a queda do euro, a resistência da finança a toda a regulação, o financiamento dos défices e até a maré negra do golfo do México. Sabia que o presidente do Banco Central Europeu, Mario Draghi, foi vice-presidente do Goldman Sachs International para a Europa entre 2002 e 2005. Ele era o «sócio» encarregado das «empresas e países soberanos», o departamento que tinha, pouco antes da sua chegada, ajudado a Grécia a maquilhar as suas contas graças ao produto financeiro «swap» sobre a dívida soberana. Que António Borges, dirigente da GS entre 2000 e 2008, foi diretor do Fundo Monetário Internacional, em 2010, funções que o levaram a supervisionar alguns dos maiores empréstimos da história da instituição: à Grécia e à Irlanda. Sabia que o atual presidente do Conselho italiano, Mario Monti, foi consultor internacional do Goldman de 2005 até à sua nomeação para a chefia do governo italiano.

Genres: Business, Economics, Finance, Nonfiction, Essays, Politics

248 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. Other authors publishing under this name are:

Marc Roche


Marc Roche est un journaliste et essayiste belge, correspondant à Londres du journal Le Monde depuis 1997. Son spécialisme est le journalisme économique.

Marc Roche is a Belgian journalist and essayist, Le Monde's correspondent for London since 1997. His is specialized in economic journalism.

Reviews

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ensayo, un tanto cospiranoico, sobre el banco de inversión Goldman Sachs. Lectura fácil y agradable.

[YHC · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read few books about Goldman Sachs' "achievements" from the angles of Chinese writer, american writers, also followed some documentaries after 2008 financial crisis. This is the first time i read it from the angle of European writer. Sadly, it's not a conspiracy, the reality is more dramatic than fiction. The story of what they have done is not unfamiliar to all, such as helped Greece entered EU by making false GDF, which caused the crisis afterwards; one of the biggest winner of 2008 financial crisis with the Hedge funds, betting against....etc.
Why this investment bank is so big that can't be fall? Look at how deep it got involved into the politics, big sponsors for the elections, just look at how many ex-Goldman Sachs peoplet now working as head of government in US, even EU ....you know they have settle down their network so well.
Why other politicians don't react and stop them? well, most politicians have no financial background to understand what's really going on (according to Roche), or they also being part of the big party. Remember the movie " Davil's advocate", Al Pacino is like Goldman Sachs, he knows well the desire of human greed, we can not eliminate him because we have the devil all inside of us, we want the risky juicy gaining. Like Roche wrote in the end of this book: People admit they are evil, but most customers still stay with Goldman Sachs and let them handle their money, why? After all they are the smartest people and if they can make money for you, who cares about if they are evil?
(if you can be safe and sound, under the protection of devil is not totally dangerous, no?)
Roche wrote: Goldman Sachs like the Darth Vader in Star Wars. If evil doesn't exist anymore, we will resurrect it back to live. That is human paradox.

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

L'histoire récente de Goldman Sachs, la firme indesctructible même pendant cette crise de 2008. On imagine une adaptation réussie sous forme de série télévisée, entre Damages et Wall Street. Le livre souffre cependant d'un excès de vulgarisation et d'un manque de fil conducteur qui rendent abscons des idées et des opérations financières qui auraient méritées d'être éclaircies. L'auteur n'hésite pas à enfoncer des portes ouvertes et à ressasser de bons vieux clichés éculés sur le monde passionnant de la finance internationale. Mais le tout ne manque pas d'intérêt.

[Luis · Rating 3 out of 5]

It introduces us to the world of Goldman Sachs, showing how people related to this bank are spread across the most important places in the world (political and non political). It also teaches you a few financial terms. It's a good introduction to this theme!

[Gert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is truly an amazing book. A must read for everyone who is concerned by the financial crisis and wants to know who had a big part in it.

[Luís Caçador · Rating 2 out of 5]

Muito interessante..ainda n acabei :)

[Olivier Saint-vincent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brillant. Marc Roche fait dans le roman docu fiction reportage...

[Borja de la haza acuaviva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buen trabajo de investigación

[Drew]

eye-opening, highly recommendable.

[Mazen Alloujami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un livre très important, à lire pour découvrir comment le système financier international fonctionne.

[Libros Imprescindibles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesante, aunque se queda un pelín corto en su análisis