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: 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