I. Consumers, Industry, and Regulatory Costs Collection and effective analysis of financial market data may help prevent future crises. The high human costs of market crises, which may significantly affect those least well positioned to bear such costs, make prevention of future crises a high priority. This is particularly true in light of the pervasive financial market networks that characterize contemporary financial markets. Further, through their influence on financial variables such as interest rates and currency prices, financial market networks reach deep into the homes and pocketbooks of a significant portion of the world’s population. The fallout from the subprime mortgage market collapse thus illustrates fundamental ways in which financial market participants and the broader global community are linked.
