That and the bail out of LTCM. If that had been left to go down in flames then the signal to the market about the existential nature of risk taking may have set

That and the bail out of LTCM. If that had been left to go down in flames then the signal to the market about the existential nature of risk taking may have set a different agenda for the global economy. It might also have skuppered the Euro, Gulf War 2 and the adventure in Afganistan.