IMO you can not legislate honor..........there is a concerted effort by certain huge firms to tamp down the market and the economy to help the democrats. They know the go go years of lying cheating and stealing are over with THIS president and they don't like it a bit. Cramps their style.
You are correct that, if I can interpret, there is an implicit RICO-type corruption here between Congress, certain businesses, banks, and touters of stock. (And I was almost getting ready to question everything I knew about capitalism.)
The ring of crooks involved shares a short term view that they can 'game the system' for personal gains and walk away as happened in the S&L 'bust-outs.' But at the same time there are those rising to the occasion to defend the longterm health of companies and markets. Companies cannot survive without trust. It should be self-correcting if let alone. I too doubt legislation can improve things.
It is worth noting that most of the companies involved have huge regulatory relationships with the govt.