November 17, 2008 • 49m
From Shylock's pound of flesh to the loan sharks of Glasgow, from the 'promises to pay' on Babylonian clay tablets to the Medici b...Read more
November 24, 2008 • 49m
How did finance become the realm of the masters of the universe? Through the rise of the bond market in Renaissance Italy. With th...Read more
December 1, 2008 • 49m
Why do stock markets produce bubbles and busts? Professor Ferguson goes back to the origins of the joint stock company in Amsterda...Read more
December 8, 2008 • 49m
Life is a risky business – which is why people take out insurance. But faced with an unexpected disaster, the state has to step in...Read more
December 15, 2008 • 49m
It sounded so simple: give state-owned assets to the people. After all, what better foundation for a property-owning democracy tha...Read more
December 22, 2008 • 49m
Since the 1990s, once risky markets in Asia, Latin America and eastern Europe have become better investments than the UK or US sto...Read more