
Below is a structured response to all 25 questions, each with a headline answer, source link, and keywords. At the end, you’ll find a curated list of top documentaries that explore these themes in depth.
📉 Economic Indicators & Trends
- Early Warning Signs: Asset bubbles, credit booms, and current account deficits often precede global financial collapses
Source
Keywords: asset bubbles, credit growth, current account, financial overheating - Rising Interest Rates: They tighten liquidity, depress asset prices, and increase default risks
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Keywords: interest rates, bond yields, liquidity, monetary tightening - Persistent Inflation: Yes, it can synchronize downturns by forcing global monetary tightening
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Keywords: inflation persistence, synchronized tightening, stagflation - Sovereign Debt: High debt levels amplify systemic risk through bank exposure and investor panic
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Keywords: sovereign risk, debt contagion, fiscal fragility - Quantitative Tightening: Sudden reversals can destabilize markets by draining liquidity and spiking yields
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Keywords: QE, QT, liquidity risk, asset sell-off
🏦 Institutional & Regulatory Factors
- Banking Regulations: Improved but still insufficient, especially for shadow banking and cyber resilience
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Keywords: Basel III, CRD VI, shadow banking, systemic risk - High-Risk Exposure: Many banks remain vulnerable to derivatives and interest-rate mismatches
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Keywords: derivatives, interest rate risk, stress testing - 2008 Lessons Ignored: Overreliance on models, weak enforcement, and moral hazard persist
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Keywords: Dodd-Frank, moral hazard, regulatory rollback - Central Bank Missteps: Policy errors can trigger cascading failures via liquidity shocks and mispricing
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Keywords: monetary policy, liquidity trap, taper tantrum - Watchdogs: Effective in theory, but fragmented mandates and enforcement gaps limit impact
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Keywords: IOSCO, macroprudential, systemic oversight
🌍 Geopolitical & Global Dynamics
- Geopolitical Tensions: Trade wars and conflicts disrupt capital flows and investor confidence
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Keywords: trade war, sanctions, capital flight - Domino Effect: A collapse in the U.S. or China would likely trigger global contagion
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Keywords: contagion, systemic collapse, global interdependence - Trade Breakdown: Undermines supply chains, investor confidence, and financial stability
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Keywords: tariffs, trade fragmentation, global slowdown - Sanctions: They fragment financial systems and accelerate de-dollarization and parallel networks
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Keywords: sanctions, SWIFT, economic isolation - Too Interconnected: Yes—regional shocks can rapidly propagate through global finance
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Keywords: financial plumbing, contagion, systemic fragility
🧠 Behavioral & Psychological Factors
- Investor Sentiment: Drives bubbles through overconfidence and FOMO, then crashes via panic
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Keywords: FOMO, overconfidence, speculation - Herd Behavior: Yes, it accelerates collapses by amplifying volatility and liquidity crunches
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Keywords: panic selling, herd mentality, behavioral finance - Social Media: Amplifies misinformation and volatility, especially during crises
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Keywords: finfluencers, misinformation, digital panic - Irrational Exuberance: Yes—valuation metrics suggest bubbles in equities and crypto
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Keywords: melt-up, speculative mania, valuation disconnect - Psychological Biases: Loss aversion, confirmation bias, and overconfidence distort crisis decisions
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Keywords: cognitive bias, heuristics, emotional investing
🔮 Future Risks & Emerging Threats
- DeFi & Crypto: Their opacity and leverage could destabilize traditional finance via contagion
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Keywords: DeFi, stablecoins, crypto contagion - Climate Risk: Physical and transition risks threaten asset values and insurance solvency
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Keywords: climate risk, stranded assets, ESG - AI & Algo Trading: Speed and opacity could amplify volatility and systemic shocks
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Keywords: algorithmic trading, flash crash, systemic automation - Cyberattacks: A major breach could paralyze markets and trigger a global liquidity freeze
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Keywords: cyber risk, financial infrastructure, operational resilience - Black Swan Events: Highly likely—models often fail to anticipate rare, high-impact shocks
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Keywords: black swan, tail risk, model failure
🎥 Recommended Documentaries
| Title | Topic | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Inside Job (2010) | 2008 crisis, derivatives | Watch on Prime |
| The Warning (PBS Frontline) | Derivatives, regulatory failure | Watch on PBS |
| Panic: The Untold Story of the 2008 Financial Crisis | Crisis response | Watch on HBO |
| The China Hustle | Fraud, emerging markets | [Watch on Hulu](https://www.hulu.com/movie/the-china-hustle-4c |