It looks like Goldman Sachs got away with it. A week ago it was left holding a large chunk of shares in UK fashion group Burberry after a block trade worth about £500m went wrong due to a falling share price. Now, following the company’s results announcement on Wednesday, the shares have recovered and the US bank should be able to sell its stake for a profit.

However, the episode was indicative of a wider problem. Banks seem to be getting caught out frequently on block trades, in which they buy a chunk of shares at a discount in a private deal before selling them on to the wider market for a profit. Last month it emerged that Deutsche Bank was yet another to have run into problems on such a deal.