In his book "The Ascent of Money," Professor Niall Ferguson "follows the money to tell the human story behind the evolution of our financial system, from its genesis in ancient Mesopotamia to the latest upheavals on what he calls Planet Finance[1] ..."

In his final episode of four-part "The Ascent of Money" series  Episode 4: Planet Finance (PBS Video Site),   Professor Niall Ferguson gives historical account of financial practices across the globe, the boom and bust of the American real estate markets, and consequences of the subprime mortgage defaults and foreclosures, resulting failures and government bailout of large financial institutions, and global financial crisis in period of 2008-2009.