Financial Bubbles: Who Can Explain Them?

On Monday, November 4 at 7:00 PM, the public is invited to Scotch Plains Public Library to hear Professor William Rapp, Director of NJIT’s Leir Center for Financial Bubble Research and Assistant Professor Michael Ehrlich, Associate Director. They will talk about the origins and work of the center, the importance of understanding financial bubbles, and the development of forecasting tools to aid investors and policymakers. They will have copies of their recent book, Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble: An Analytical Exploration of Bubbles (2013) to sell and sign.

Professor Rapp, one of the few to warn of the housing bubble’s dangers before it burst, came to NJIT in 2000 as the first Leir Professor of International Trade and Business.  When the Leir Center for Financial Bubble Research was established in 2011, he became its first director . Rapps’ career has included governmental, academic and corporate stints. He is known for his research on international business and information technology.

Professor Michael Ehrlich’s research focuses on financial markets and institutions, with an emphasis on market failures.  He worked at a number of Wall Street firms, most recently as senior managing director of the emerging markets fixed income business at Bear Stearns.  He also started his own business, which he sold in 2007.

At the Leir Center,  Rapp and Ehrlich head research efforts that look to past bubbles to gain insight and garner relevance for today’s markets. They have put forth the controversial opinion that some bubbles, with their many negative consequences, may have positive impact as well.

This program will be the second in Scotch Plains Public Library’s New Jersey Business and Innovation series, which will be an ongoing feature of the library’s programming lineup.

All library programs are free and open to all interested participants. Attendees are encouraged to register through the library’s website: http://www.scotlib.org or by phone: 908-322-5007, x.204 or e-mail library@scotlib.org .