Topics / Forgotten Fortunes
Market Bubbles & Crashes
Speculative manias, leveraged euphoria, and the market crashes that reshaped wealth, regulation, and public memory.
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Singapore’s Market Evolution: The 1973 SEMS Split, Haw Par Scandal, and 1984 SIMEX Launch
Singapore capital markets changed through a 1973 exchange split, the Haw Par scandal and SIMEX’s launch, amid tighter oversight.
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A Nation of Savers and Renters: German Homeownership, Hartz IV, and the Strafzinsen Revolt
German homeownership stayed low as housing finance, pensions, welfare rules and negative rates reshaped household saving.
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Athenian Grain Guardians: The 50-Phormoi Rule and a Drachma a Day
Classical Athens policed grain trading closely, though ancient rules and wage comparisons require careful interpretation.
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Solon’s Olive Oil Export Ban, the Medimnos Census Classes, and Laurion Silver
Ancient sources link Solon to rules on exports and property qualifications, while later silver discoveries reshaped Athenian finances.
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From the Financial Rand and JSE ‘Big Bang’ to Naspers and Steinhoff: Post-Apartheid Markets
South Africa’s stock market modernized after apartheid, but multinational shifts and corporate scandals tested investor confidence.
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From Law 95 and the Orascom Boom to the 38-Day Tahrir Shutdown: Egypt’s Stock Exchange
Egypt’s modern stock market grew alongside major companies before the 2011 uprising forced a prolonged trading suspension.
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From the 1962 KCIA Stock Crash to South Korea’s Three Lows KOSPI Boom
South Korea’s early exchange endured severe speculation before industrial expansion helped underpin a much larger stock market.
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Corners, Badla, and Crash: The Interwar Bombay Stock Exchange Inquiries (1914–1945)
Carry-forward financing, corners and market investigations shaped the Bombay Stock Exchange well before India’s modern securities rules.
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Samurai Bonds to Narikin Ruin: Meiji Japan’s Stock Exchanges and Speculative Crises (1878–1907)
Meiji Japan’s new stock exchanges linked industrial expansion with speculative booms, from bond trading to railway-share mania.
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The 1883 Shanghai Stock Crash and the 1910 Rubber Share Bubble in Late Qing China
Two speculative booms in Shanghai, decades apart, showed how fragile credit networks amplified losses across China’s emerging markets.
