A casual observer could be forgiven for thinking it was a decent quarter, with many Banks Posting higher year-on-year operating profits.

外行可能会认为这个季度还算不错，这无可厚非，以往内不少银行营业利润同比增加了。

youdao

Indeed, a casual look at the ratio of corporate profits to net assets since the early 1950s shows two peaks: in the mid-1960s and late-1990s, both periods of robust growth.

ECONOMIST: Has the tide turned for corporate profits?