What causes financial crises? What are the keys to anticipating, preventing, and managing disruptions in the global financial system? This course prepares students to navigate future episodes as policymakers, finance professionals, and citizens by going inside the practical decisions made in an unfolding crisis, from the U.S. government and IMF to the boardroom and trading floor. Students will learn warning signs of distress; market structures that govern crisis dynamics; strategic interactions among the key actors; and lessons learned for creating a more resilient system. Concepts will be applied to real-world cases: emerging markets, U.S. housing and the Global Financial Crisis, the European sovereign crisis, COVID-ECON 19, the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, crypto, and tariffs.
1 units · Satisfactory/No Credit
What causes financial crises? What are the keys to anticipating, preventing, and managing disruptions in the global financial system? This course prepares students to navigate future episodes as policymakers, finance professionals, and citizens by going inside the practical decisions made in an unfolding crisis, from the U.S. government and IMF to the boardroom and trading floor. Students will learn warning signs of distress; market structures that govern crisis dynamics; strategic interactions among the key actors; and lessons learned for creating a more resilient system. Concepts will be applied to real-world cases: emerging markets, U.S. housing and the Global Financial Crisis, the European sovereign crisis, COVID-19, the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, crypto, and tariffs.
Offered in Winter 2026 at Stanford University.