Stanley O'Neal retired today as head of investment giant Merrill Lynch - apparently under pressure from a board frustrated with the largest quarterly loss in the 93-year old firm's history. 'It is a tragic Shakespearean story', said a management professor at Yale University.

Shakespearean or not, Wall Street must be the only place in the world where you're awarded a $160-million exit package for leaving $8+ billion in losses behind your back.