A look back at Wall Street’s biggest power struggles and the people who helped define the flourishing world of high finance in 2021

A look back at Wall Street’s biggest power struggles and the people who helped define the flourishing world of high finance in 2021

Wall Street started 2021 on uncertain footing, with the deadly coronavirus wreaking havoc around the world. The helped the finance industry by keeping interest rates at near zero — resulting in a mad dash for cheap loans (and costly advisors) to make mergers and acquisitions. The boom in business was not always easy to handle, however, especially for employees struggling to turn off their computers in an era of remote work. Insider chronicled Wall Street's seemingly endless tales of burnout — to . There were complaints even by employees of Goldman Sachs' Marcus consumer bank — a relatively cushy gig when compared to investment banking — Large investors rushing to take advantage of low rates by teaming up with private-equity firms, which use loans to buy companies, found themselves caught up in an ugly power struggle, Wall Street leaders started calling for workers to return to the office after the vaccines were rolled out. While some CEOs, like Goldman's David Solomon, took hardline stances in calling workers back to their desks, many employees continued to embrace the benefits of hybrid work. Wall Street moms —in dire need of a break after pulling double duty teaching their kids and working during