A term frequently touted <br />By the now over-zealous <br />Regulators, the world over <br />An easy excuse for them <br />To explain the spawning of <br />Crooks like Bernie Madoff <br />In the developed world <br />And of course closer home <br />The crooks of yester years <br />Not forgetting the present <br />Mother of all financial crises <br />Caused by the Sub-prime excesses <br /> <br />The question on everyone's mind <br />- the exact meaning of systemic risk <br />Well it is actually a poor reflection <br />On a benign regulatory regime <br />That is known to turn a Nelson’s eye <br />As long as the economy is in fine fettle <br />With the stock markets booming <br />It is during such heady days that <br />The market watch dogs are often <br />Caught napping at the wheel, <br />The global arena soon becomes <br />A very fertile ground for the more <br />Imaginative financial players <br /> <br />Some get into a huddle while <br />Others act independently <br />And come up with ingenious ideas <br />To keep the market befuddled <br />Until they grab the first rich pickings <br />And then make a sly and unsung exit <br />By the time the authorities react <br />The worst has already happened <br />Several investors who have been <br />Relieved of their earnings or fortunes <br />Cry foul and ring the alarm bells <br />It is then that the blame game starts <br />Each side keeps berating the other, but <br />Ultimately the hammer falls on the system <br />And the result is filed away as a systemic risk <br />To be addressed by the now fully awake <br />Regulators! !<br /><br />Sandra Martyres<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/systemic-risk/
