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The Bottom Line

Factual: Money

Evan Davis hosts the business conversation show with insights from the people at the top.

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The Bottom Line: Financial Engineering

29/10/2015

Financial Engineering

BBC Radio 4 - The Bottom Line, Financial Engineering

Can clever maths create value from nothing? Evan Davis and guests look at modern finance.

Can clever maths really create value from nothing? Evan Davis and guests discuss whether financial engineering is the miracle its supporters say it is.

What does a financial engineer do? A mechanical engineer may design a machine, one that does a task or overcomes an obstacle, but what problems does modern finance solve? Can the clever manipulation of debt, equity or derivatives, really make human beings better off? Some think finance is a bit of a racket, designed to extract money from the enterprise of others; others think modern finance is a miracle that can create value from nothing. Evan Davis and guests try to get to the bottom of this argument on this week's The Bottom Line.

Guests:

John Kay - Economist and writer
Jessica James - Head of the FX Quantative Solutions Group, Commerzbank
Jon Moulton - Founder, Better Capital.

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