Financial History
Holding Up a Mirror to the First Global Stock Bubble
Yale SOM’s William Goetzmann, an expert in art and finance history, showed us satirical prints documenting the first global stock bubble, three centuries ago.

Crashes and COVID-19 in Historical Context
The stock markets are reeling as fear and uncertainty about the global pandemic grow. We asked Yale SOM’s William Goetzmann, whose research includes financial history, to put the volatility into historical perspective.
What We Talk about When We Talk about Stock Market Crashes
Yale SOM’s Robert Shiller examines how the stock market rise of the 1920s, the crash of 1929, and the Great Depression that followed came to be seen as a tale of recklessness and divine punishment.
Is Cryptocurrency Really a New Idea?
Bitcoin meshes digital technology with an approach to money that predates the development of cash and coin, according to Yale SOM’s William Goetzmann.
Can a Place Built on Global Banking Survive Britain’s Retreat from Europe?
Professor William Goetzmann discusses the uncertainty facing the financial hub at Canary Wharf as Britain moves steadily toward its divorce from the European Union.