Saw The Big Short yesterday and liked it. And then I realized I didn’t understand it. That economics stuff — the basis of the film — escaped me. So please help me answer these 2 questions.

1. The three groups who were trying to beat the system, specifically what did they do early in the film to gain from the potential housing crisis?

2. At the end, how did they cash in and make a killing?

I honestly have no idea.