Some board members are keen on a European investment-banking tie-up, perhaps with Banque Nationale de Paris, which recently took control of a rival French bank, Paribas, and which has a longstanding alliance (and small cross-shareholding) with Dresdner.

ECONOMIST: Dresdner Bank

Throughout glittering careers in which they alternated high-profile government jobs with profitable stints in banking, the Mendonca de Barros brothers and Mr Lara Resende broke no rules, but attracted the envy of less talented mortals.

ECONOMIST: Crossed lines in Brazil

Bernanke is worried about the parlous state of the de-leveraging U.S. economy, and possibly worried that the U.S. banking sector is not strong enough to weather more currency turbulence.

FORBES: Neither Obama Nor Romney Will Save Dollar