雙語財經新聞 第30期:全世界最好的銀行

As the dust starts to settle, which banks deserve the most plaudits?

當塵埃開始落定，哪家銀行將贏得最多喝彩？

Trying to work out which banks are the world’s best is a bit like awarding the prize for prettiest war-torn village. It is a title that carries little kudos. It is also likely to prompt further shelling. Winners of industry awards in the past three years include Ken Lewis, the chief executive of Bank of America, for banker of the year (2008); Soci6t6 G6n6rale for its risk management; and Angelo Mozilo of Countrywide, a failed mortgage3 lender, for a “lifetime of achievement”.

想要評出哪家銀行是世界上最好的，有點像從飽受戰爭蹂躪的村莊中評選出最美的村莊,這是一個並不光彩的頭銜,也可能弓I發對企業的刨根問底。在過去三 年間，金融行業的優勝者包括美國銀行的首席執行官肯?劉易斯,獲評爲2008年鋃 行家,法國興業銀行因其風險管理獲獎，以及失敗了的破產抵押人，美國國家金融 服務公司的安吉羅?莫奇羅’因終身成就而獲獎。

Still, the question is becoming more pertinent. After months of indiscriminate fear, widespread losses and government hand-holding, the banking industry is gradually stabilising. Money markets are steadily calming. American banks that got a clean bill of health in this month’s stress tests are queuing up4 to repay government money. A first wave of escapees5 is likely to include Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan Chase. Those banks that emerge from this crisis with reputations and franchises strengthened will find it increasingly easy to raise funds, win clients, attract employees and buy assets.

然而，問題變得越來越集中。經過幾個月的無所不在的恐懼，廣泛的損失以及 政府調控後，銀行業正在逐步企穩。金融市場正逐漸恢復平靜。美國的一些銀行經 過了這個月的壓力測試,表明其財務狀況良好,正在排隊等候償還政府的貸款。第 一波的倖存者可能包括包括高盛、摩根斯坦利和摩根大通公司。在危機中脫穎而出 的這些公司,聲望和政府的特殊照顧都有所加強，這些公司籌集資金、贏得客戶、吸 納人才，以及購買資產會比以前容易。

However the pack is shuffled, a few names keep resurfacing — in America, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase; and in Europe, Credit Suisse, Deutsche, BNP, Barclays and Santander. They can be vdiittled down‘ further. In Europe, concerns over what lies on the balance-sheets of Deutsche and Barclays are ebbing but are not gone. The British bank’s willingness to consider a sale of BGI, its asset -management arm, suggests worries over capital. Both banks still have lots of legacy assets, many of them tucked in the banking book.

銀行業正在洗牌，一些公司將繼續其榮耀一美國的高盛和摩根大通公司、歐 洲的瑞士信貸集團、德國德意志銀行、法國巴黎銀行、英國巴克萊銀行，以及西班牙 桑坦德銀行。這些名字未來可能會減少。在歐洲，人們對德國德意志銀行和英國巴 克萊銀行資產負債表的擔憂正在減少，但卻沒有消失。英國銀行正考慮賣掉BGI，其 資產管理的左膀右臂，也表明對資產情況非常焦慮。這兩個銀行都有很多遺產資 產，這些資產來自開戶人的存摺。

In America, Goldman still has legions of admirers. It has posted losses of less than $8 billion to date, a performance not nearly as bad as those of its direct peers. Its focus on risk management is a template for others to follow. But its renewed swagger should not conceal the fact that itneeded to convert into a bank-holding company in order to survive the market storm — nor the questions that hang over its future earnings in a re-regulated industry.

在美國，髙盛公司仍然備受傾慕。到目前爲止,髙盛公司公佈了只有不到80億美元的損失,表現比其它同行要好 些。高盛專注與風險管理的現念是 其他銀行學習的樣板。然而這些成 績不能掩蓋這樣的事實:它需要成 爲銀行持股公司，以便躲過市場風 暴銀行業的再規範也爲其未 來盈利帶來了重重疑問。

That leaves Credit Suisse and JPMorgan Chase to take the grand prizes. Credit Suisse has had its share of mishaps during the crisis but it was quick to scale down its balance-sheet, has plotted a credible strategy for its investment bank and pulled well ahead of UBS, its main rival inwealth management. As for JPMorgan Chase, it has kept a tight rein on risk, managed capital well and acquired sensibly. None of this is much comfort for weary Swiss and American taxpayers, of course. Well-run or not, both banks present the problem of being far too important to fail.

瑞士信貸銀行和摩根大通拔 得頭籌。瑞士信貸銀行在這場危機中雖然有些損失，但它迅速對資產進行減值準 備,爲投資銀行標明信用對策,並遙遙領先於其資產管理方面的主要對手瑞士聯合 銀行。至於摩根大通公司，它嚴格控制風險，對資本管理得當，且投資理性。這兩家 銀行對萎靡的美國和瑞士納稅人心存蒈錫。不論經營情況如何,兩家銀行的問題是 都太重要而不能倒閉。