Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Harvard historian Niall Ferguson for a discussion of his new book, "The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World." Drawing on insights from the biological sciences, Ferguson describes the rise and evolution of finance focusing on insurance, banks, and the bond market. Using the examples of housing and the U.S. China economic relationship, Ferguson demonstrates the way history can inform our understanding of the current financial crisis. He also reflects on the implications of the financial crisis for American global hegemony. (#15580)