Equally big factor: they get rich when there's NOT a recession as long as interest rates are low. Low interest rates = high stock returns, more or less. So if they can bully the Fed into lowering interest rates to avert a recession, they still get rich.

Ever notice how the stock market tanks whenever there's a good jobs report? It's perverse, but wall street is rooting for main street to fail. (I mean, let's be honest, they never really cared about main street, but now their fortunes are directly tied to our failure).