The Journal's Matthew Karnitschnig and Susanne Craig have the low-down on last week's annual gathering at the St. Regis of Wall Street's very own secret fraternity, Kappa Beta Phi, which contains some of the true titans of city-based finance. The frat's current mood, understandably, is a bit sullen, like a bad hangover you simply can't shake:
"I feel like the mayor of New Orleans after Katrina," quipped Alfred E. Smith IV, the group's leader, or "Grand Swipe," at the opening of its annual black-tie dinner last week. "Today, the FBI put out a warning that Al Qaeda was planning an attack to cripple the U.S. economy," inductee Martin Gruss joked later in the evening. "I've got news for them, Congress has already done that."
Zing! There's also musical comedy of a sort: read more »
