In 2006, New York’s investment banks paid out $40bn (adjusted for inflation) in bonuses – around ten times the budget of the UN, says Economist.com. After the financial crisis bonuses fell, but they are now creeping up again.
The bonus pool jumped by 15% to $26.7bn in 2013, and the average bonus jumped to $164,530, the third-highest average on record – all despite a 30% drop in Wall Street banks’ combined profits last year.