But the head of the banking commission said it was "not given sufficient confidence" this will happen.

BBC: RBS sign

"We were not given sufficient confidence today that the arrangement for funding the fines from bonuses will do what it says on the tin, " he said.

BBC: RBS sign

And partly because of the hope and expectation that sufficient confidence has returned to economies with weakened banks, especially those of Spain and Italy, that those with big deposits in such banks will not immediately ask for their money back (even if the Cypriot levy could one day turn out to be a very painful precedent for them).

BBC: Why Cyprus's rescue matters to us

His own rootless childhood had made him extremely self-sufficient, and his natural confidence - some would say arrogance - has made him very sure about his own abilities and opinions.

BBC: Philip the record-setting consort

"Libya has undertaken sufficient steps for us to have confidence they have fulfilled their strategic commitments, " one senior official said.

CNN: U.S. to lift final sanctions against Libya

Bankruptcy laws, corporate governance standards, and timely and sufficient disclosure of information are also important supports for confidence.

ECONOMIST: Economics focus

If most of the price reductions were concentrated in the months around the new year, they could well be sufficient to avert an American recession and revive financial confidence in the euro zone.

ECONOMIST: The world economy��s improbable saviour

Conversely, this is a big boost for Sanofi, which had bet that the Genzyme problems could be turned around in sufficient time to restore not only production, but investor confidence.

FORBES: Shire Ends Fabry Drug Bid, Giving Sanofi A Boost