In 1973, Princeton University professor Burton Malkiel asserted in his bestselling book, ‘A Random Walk Down Wall Street’, that “A blindfolded monkey throwing darts at a newspaper’s financial pages could select a portfolio that would do just as well as one carefully selected by experts.” This notion was taken up numerously in the financial world, testing whether a simulated dart-throwing monkey resulted in portfolios that would not just beat most investors, but also outperform the market.
The Wall Street Journal’s Dartboard Contest spent 14 years attempting to dart against professional analysts – within this time period, the professionals did not always win.
The Bankey is satirically inspired by both the dart-monkey’s random walk as well as the faith in true financial analytics and management skills of professionals bankers & financial experts.
The Bankey simplifies, utilises clichés, explains, connects past to future and alludes to various viewpoints from both within and outside the industry, in order to remind ourselves, in a humorous way, of the delicate balance between panic & greed, loss & glory and ponzis & free markets. The ultimate comic for all interested in the banking industry and the overall economy!