So can the major governments dictate to the banks on how to reward their staff and waht businesses they should be in? I doubt it very much. If the banks don’t generate profits from astute investment skills, then governments lose tax revenues, businesses cannot borrow money and the economy stagnates or continues to flounder. Leave the banks to do what they do best. By all means banks should learn the principles of sound lending, but apart from that all this rhetoric, particularly in the UK, where the parties are canvassing your vote in the impending election, the banks are being used as the scapegoat for government failings.

How do you know when the recession has ended? It is something that the media, economists and bankers tell you about, but on an individual basis you can’t see it, feel it or touch it. The economists and governments seem to have a definition that relates to how many quarters productivity figures show a upward or downward trend, but us mere mortals can only take their word for it. Confidence is affected by what we are told, so if all the media tell you is that things are bad, or worse tan they have ever been , you are likely to become extremely cautious and stop spending money, on those purchases you would “like” to make. We still carry on buying what we “need” to buy, such as food, petrol, and the essentials of life.

The stock markets seem to be telling us that things are getting better, as the indices are steadily climbing back up. That means people and institutions are putting money back into business via share purchases.

If anyone has a view on their take of recession and whether they see positive signs , please share it with us