LA GRAN CRISIS FINANCIERA DE 2007-2009.

To what extent was the Great Financial Crisis of 2007-2009 similar to previous crises, and what were the main causes behind it? The purpose of this paper is to explore these questions, presenting the traditional pattern followed by financial crises in the past, a chronology of the recent crisis, and an in-depth analysis of its causes. We distinguish between three different classes of causes in our analysis: those which created the opportunity for severe distortions to arise in the financial system, those which explain the desire of the financial system to take advantage of them, and those responsible for the neglect shown by our regulatory and supervisory frameworks to rein them in and avoid a catastrophic event. The crisis was caused by a complex series of factors, some of which are traditional, and others are new to our experience. Distinguishing clearly between main causes and mere symptoms of the crisis is essential for the design of adequate regulatory policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]