Summary: More money is owed to banks than actually exists in circulation-some say the idea of loans is to keep money in short supply so that an economy based on a frightening "myth of scarcity" is created. This program poses provocative questions about the philosophy of our monetary system. To what extent does a society's financial structure affect its cultural outlook? Can we learn from the economy of...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2008
View online at AVOD
Summary: Life is risky—which is why people buy insurance. But when disaster overwhelms conventional insurance systems, should the state step in? In this program, economics expert Niall Ferguson travels to post-Katrina New Orleans to evaluate the free market’s ability to help victims of the catastrophe. Ferguson then delves into one of the earliest insurance schemes, the Scottish Ministers’ Widows Fund;...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: How did the American credit market become so entwined with—and dependent on—Chinese lending? This program examines the rise and potential decline of “Chimerica,” the financial marriage between two of the world’s biggest economic powers. Historian Niall Ferguson shows how the Chinese “savings glut” led to excessively easy American borrowing and prompted the subprime mortgage crisis of 2007....
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: From “promises to pay” on ancient Babylonian tablets to the insolvency of present-day consumerist America, this program explains the origins of credit and debt and why credit networks are central to civilization. Historian Niall Ferguson examines financial transactions recorded in cuneiform; the transition from Roman numerals to Arabic symbols for greater speed and efficiency among medieval...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: What better way to understand a financial disaster than to meet the kind of people who created it? This CNBC Original documentary investigates the origins of the global economic crisis through eyewitness accounts from mortgage brokers, investment bankers, naive home buyers, and equally naive investors-as well as former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan, who encouraged shifts away from...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: Why do stock markets produce bubbles, and what makes them burst? In this program, financial scholar Niall Ferguson examines the origins of the joint stock company and the modern share trading system, highlighting some of history’s most notorious market meltdowns. Analyzing the herd instinct and its role in economic upswings and downturns, Ferguson draws parallels between the 2001 Enron...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: Beginning in the strange and chaotic world of war financing, this program explores the origins and development of bond trading. Historian Niall Ferguson profiles military backers and bankrollers through the centuries, linking their activities to the rise and fall of governments, the volatile fortunes of their constituents, and the fluctuations of global markets. Viewers will learn about Sir...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: In the mid-1980s, the markets were soaring with no end in sight. Then came October 19th, 1987. This CNBC Original documentary examines the biggest stock market crash in U.S. history, as told through firsthand accounts from traders, reporters who covered the story, and such power brokers as former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan, former NYSE chairman John Phelan, and Leo Melamed,...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: Contrary to widespread perception, real estate is no different than any other financial asset—its value can plunge. This program examines the volatility of property investment and the ramifications of buying and selling bulk mortgages and mortgage-backed securities. Beginning with an example from British history, scholar Niall Ferguson discusses the fate of the 2nd Duke of Buckingham, whose...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: Most economists use Gross Domestic Product to measure a country's economic health. But some experts in the field of economic development consider GDP calculations to be painfully inadequate. This program explores alternative ways to define national success and productivity using not only monetary parameters but also the safety, happiness, and potential of a country's citizens and the health of...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007