The examination of U.S. crises reveals that the current financial crisis follows past patterns. An investment bubble creates excess demand for new financing instruments. During the railroad bubbles of the nineteenth century loans were issued at a pace higher than many companies could pay back....

In this paper, I first quickly recount the causes and consequences of the global financial crisis (GFC). Of course, the triggering event was the unfolding of the subprime crisis; however, I argue that the financial system was already so fragile that just about anything could have caused the...

The paper provides the IMF staff views on policy options to mitigate the risks posed by institutions perceived as too-important-to-fail (“TITF"). These institutions have become bigger and more complex since the crisis, and risky practices have started to reappear. The paper emphasizes the need...

Il lavoro analizza le dinamiche di investimento dei fondi sovrani per paese e per settore nell'arco dell'ultimo ventennio. Il patrimonio gestito dai fondi sovrani è passato da 500 miliardi di dollari nel 1995 a 4,7 trilioni a fine 2011. Sulla base di un dataset specificamente creato, relativo a...