A clear-eyed analysis of how, after the global financial crisis, central banks became the dominant force shaping markets and economies—using unconventional tools such as quantitative easing and ultra-low interest rates to stabilize growth while unintentionally distorting asset prices, encouraging risk-taking, and masking deeper fiscal and structural problems. The book explains the limits and side effects of relying primarily on monetary policy, explores the interactions among monetary, fiscal and structural policies, and warns that without coordinated reforms (on debt, demographics, productivity and inequality) the global economy and investors face persistent vulnerabilities. It also offers practical perspectives for investors and policymakers on managing uncertainty, applying scenario thinking, and preparing for a future in which the “only game” can no longer carry the full burden of economic repair.