In some instances, recouped deal fees appear to boost returns, increasing their own compensation.
Because hedge funds often borrow to boost returns, this may understate their influence.
So betting borrowed money ought, in theory, to boost returns, to the benefit of equity investors.
But even big, successful firms which are dedicated to emerging economies are trying to boost returns by trimming back.
As their cross-shareholding ties have wound down, Japanese companies are under more pressure from independent shareholders to boost returns.
"They are doing everything they can to boost returns," said Glenn Schorr, an analyst at the Japanese bank Nomura.
Now that is past, even a modest improvement in the allocation of capital and the use of labour would boost returns and productivity.
Instead of setting aside money to cover possible losses, Merrill reduced its reserves of capital, in an attempt to boost returns.
There is a growing realisation if not yet dramatic action that the industry's marketing model needs to slim down and take a new shape to boost returns.
He also wants to push the ultraconservative Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF), the world's deepest pot of savings, into taking greater risks to boost returns.
Interest rates fell after financial deregulation in the mid-1990s, and the fund invested heavily in shares in an attempt to boost returns.
