Other posts in this occasional series.
I generally prefer systemic explanations for events, but it is obviously worthwhile to complement this with a careful study of key individuals. And in the current crisis, no individual is as interesting or as puzzling as Hank Paulson.
The big question must be: How could a person with so much market experience be repeatedly at the center of such major misunderstandings regarding the markets, and how could his team – stuffed full of people like him – struggle so much to communicate what they were doing and why?
Hank Paulson’s exit interview with the Financial Times contains some potential answers but also generates some new puzzles.
The Baseline Scenario 