There was already much discussion about reviving 1930’s-style regulation of banks before Obama’s dramatic and combative announcement on January 21. The proposals for what is now called the “Volcker rule,” which would ban proprietary trading and prevent banks from “owning, investing in, or sponsoring” hedge funds or private equity funds, is an updated version of the Glass-Steagall Act, the law enacted in the United States in 1933 to separate investment banking from commercial banking.
1 月 21 日，奥巴马以极富戏剧性和战斗姿态的方式宣布了改革草案，在此之前，关于是否要恢复 20 世纪 30 年代式的银行监管制度，已有大量讨论。该草案主张的是所谓“沃尔克法则”：禁止自营交易、不让银行“拥有、投资或资助”对冲基金或私募股权基金，可谓是格拉斯 — 斯蒂格尔法案的一个升级版。该法案于 1933 年在美国通过，旨在令投资银行和商业银行分业经营。