It has been almost impossible to forget over the last week that the fifth anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks is upon us. The many directly affected by that day’s events have probably had it constantly in mind ever since; and for the rest, there has been a welter of media coverage.

The attacks were aimed, among many other things, at world capitalism, and scored a palpable hit. Those watching as the towers collapsed believed that the world – including the financial world – had changed utterly.