I found this documentary on the blog of one of my co-workers. It’s quite thought provoking actually. I wonder when Wall Street will change and perform the function that it was originally meant for which is serving the public and not feeding off of them. I lifted the description of the documentary below from the YouTube uploader. 

Quants are the math wizards and computer programmers in the engine room of our global financial system who designed the financial products that almost crashed Wall st. The credit crunch has shown how the global financial system has become increasingly dependent on mathematical models trying to quantify human (economic) behaviour. Now the quants are at the heart of yet another technological revolution in finance: trading at the speed of light. 

What are the risks of treating the economy and its markets as a complex machine? Will we be able to keep control of this model-based financial system, or have we created a monster?

A story about greed, fear and randomness from the insides of Wall Street.

Director: Marije Meerman
Research: Gerko Wessel