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1988–1992 Norwegian banking crisis
The 1988–1992 Norwegian banking crisis was the largest financial crisis that occurred in Europe since the end of World War II within Norway. The crisis emerged from a backdrop of financial deregulation, which unleashed a wave of perilous credit operations and a subsequent lending frenzy. The elimination of lending rate constraints led Norwegian banks to partake in high-risk activities, r
Banking1990–1994 Swedish financial crisis
The 1990–1994 Swedish financial crisis took place in Sweden when the deflation of a housing bubble caused a severe credit crunch and bank crisis and a deep recession. Similar crises took place in countries around the same time, such as in Finland and the Savings and Loans crisis in the United States. The causes of the crisis were similar to those of the subprime mortgage crisis of 2007–
Banking1990s Finnish banking crisis
The 1990s Finnish banking crisis was a deep systemic crisis of the entire Finnish financial sector that took place mainly in the years 1991–1993, after several years of debt-based economic boom in the late 1980s. Its total taxpayer cost was roughly 8% of the Finnish GNP, making it the most severe of the contemporary Nordic banking crises. The crisis has been attributed to a combination o
Trading basics1990s United States boom
The 1990s economic boom in the United States was a major economic expansion that lasted between 1993 and 2001, coinciding with the economic policies of the Clinton administration. It began following the early 1990s recession during the presidency of George H.W. Bush and ended following the infamous dot-com crash in 2000. Until July 2019, it was the longest recorded economic expansion in
Trading basics1991 Indian economic crisis
The 1991 Indian economic crisis was a balance-of-payments crisis in which India's foreign-exchange reserves fell to a level barely sufficient to pay three weeks of imports. It followed a decade of large fiscal deficits and rising external borrowing and came to a head in 1990-91 because of rising oil prices during the Gulf War, political instability that prevented the government from pass
Trading basics1994 bond market crisis
The 1994 bond market crisis, or Great Bond Massacre, was a sudden drop in bond market prices across the developed world. It began in Japan and the United States (US), and spread through the rest of the world. After the recession of the early 1990s, historically low interest rates in many industrialized nations preceded an unexpectedly volatile year for bond investors, including those tha
Finance1997 Asian financial crisis
A financial crisis gripped much of East and Southeast Asia during the late 1990s. It began in Thailand in July 1997 before spreading to several other countries with a ripple effect, raising fears of a worldwide economic meltdown due to financial contagion. However, the recovery in 1998–1999 was rapid, and worries of a meltdown quickly subsided.
Trading basics1998 Russian financial crisis
The Russian financial crisis (also called the ruble crisis or the Russian flu) began in Russia on 17 August 1998. It resulted in the Russian government and the Russian Central Bank devaluing the ruble and defaulting on its debt. The crisis had severe impacts on the economies of many neighboring countries.
Trading basics1998–1999 Ecuador economic crisis
The 1998–99 Ecuador economic crisis was a period of economic instability that resulted from a combined inflationary-currency crisis, financial crisis, fiscal crisis, and sovereign debt crisis. Severe inflation and devaluation of the sucre led to President Jamil Mahuad announcing on January 9, 2000, that the U.S. dollar would be adopted as the national currency. Poor economic conditions a
Trading basics2000s United States housing bubble
During the 2000s, United States housing prices experienced a sharp run up and subsequent collapse affecting over half of the U.S. states. In many regions, a real estate bubble was the impetus for the subprime mortgage crisis. Housing prices, which peaked in early 2006, started to decline in 2006 and 2007, and reached new lows in 2011. On December 30, 2008, the Case–Shiller home price in
Banking2002 Uruguay banking crisis
The 2002 Uruguay banking crisis was a major banking crisis that hit Uruguay in July 2002. The crisis unfolded after years of heavy dollarization since the 1950s when chronic inflation and weak confidence in the peso led Uruguayans to prefer U.S. dollars. This left the economy highly exposed to external shocks. The crisis was caused by a considerable contraction in Uruguay's economy and b
Banking2003 Myanmar banking crisis
The 2003 banking crisis of Myanmar was a major bank run in private banking that hit Myanmar (Burma) in February 2003. It started with a decline in the trust for private financial institutions following the collapse of small financial enterprises and proliferating rumors about the liquidity of major private banks. Leading to a bank run on the Asia Wealth Bank, the crisis quickly spread to
Trading basics2008 financial crisis
The 2008 financial crisis was a major worldwide financial crisis which started in the U.S. The first phase was the subprime mortgage crisis, which began in early 2007 as mortgage-backed securities (MBS) tied to U.S. real estate, and a vast web of derivatives linked to those MBS, collapsed in value. A liquidity crisis spread to global institutions by mid-2007 and climaxed with the bankrup
Finance2011 Bangladesh share market scam
The 2010-11 Bangladesh share market scam was a period of instability in the stock market from 2009 to 2011; the turmoil occurred in both stock exchanges of Bangladesh, Dhaka Stock Exchange and Chittagong Stock Exchange. The market rose 62% in 2009, and 83% in 2010, but then declined 10% in January 2011, and a further 30% in February 2011. The crash is deemed to be a scam and exacerbated
Trading basics2021–2023 inflation surge
Following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, a worldwide surge in inflation began in mid-2021 and lasted until mid-2022. Many countries saw their highest inflation rates in decades. It has been attributed to various causes, including pandemic-related economic dislocation, supply chain disruptions, the fiscal and monetary stimulus provided in 2020 and 2021 by governments and cent
Trading basics2023 United States banking crisis
The 2023 United States banking crisis was a series of bank failures and bankruptcies that took place in early 2023, with the United States federal government ultimately intervening in several ways. Over the course of five days in March 2023, three small-to-mid size U.S. banks failed, triggering a sharp decline in global bank stock prices and swift response by regulators to prevent poten
FinanceAccounting liquidity
In accounting, liquidity (or accounting liquidity) is a measure of the ability of a debtor to pay their debts as and when they fall due. It is usually expressed as a ratio or a percentage of current liabilities. Liquidity is the ability to pay short-term obligations.
Trading basicsActis Capital
Actis LLP is a global investment firm focused on sustainable infrastructure, in particular the energy, infrastructure, and real estate asset classes.
Trading basicsAlternative risk transfer
Alternative risk transfer (ART) is the use of techniques other than traditional insurance and reinsurance to provide risk-bearing entities with coverage or protection. The field of alternative risk transfer grew out of a series of insurance capacity crises in the 1970s through 1990s that drove purchasers of traditional coverage to seek more robust ways to buy protection.
Trading basicsAmerican Investment Council
The American Investment Council (AIC), formerly the Private Equity Growth Capital Council (PEGCC), is a lobbying, advocacy, and research organization based in Washington, D.C., that was launched by a consortium of private equity firms in February 2007. It focuses on defending and promoting the private equity and growth capital investment industry to lawmakers and the public at large. Its
BankingAmsterdam banking crisis of 1763
The Amsterdam banking crisis of 1763 in the Netherlands followed the end of the Seven Years' War. At this time prices of grain and other commodities were falling sharply, and the supply of credit dried up due to the decreased value of collateral goods. Many of the banks based in Amsterdam were over-leveraged and were interlinked by complex financial instruments, making them vulnerable to
BankingAustralian banking crisis of 1893
The 1893 banking crisis in the Australian colonies involved the collapse of a considerable number of commercial banks and building societies, and a general economic depression. It occurred at the same time as the US Panic of 1893 (1893–1897).
FinanceBad bank
A bad bank is a corporate structure which isolates illiquid and high risk assets (typically non-performing loans) held by a bank or a financial organisation, or perhaps a group of banks or financial organisations.
Trading basicsBahraini dinar
The dinar (Arabic: دينار بحريني, romanized: Dīnār Baḥrēnī) (sign: .د.ب or BD; code: BHD) is the currency of Bahrain. Each dinar is divided into 1000 fulūs (singular is "fils"). The Bahraini dinar is abbreviated د.ب (Arabic) or BD (Latin). It is usually represented with three decimal places denoting the fils.
BankingBank failure
A bank failure occurs when a bank is unable to meet its obligations to its depositors or other creditors because it has become insolvent or too illiquid to meet its liabilities. Failing banks share commonalities: rising asset losses, deteriorating solvency, and an increasing reliance on expensive noncore funding.
BankingBank run
A bank run or run on the bank occurs when many clients withdraw their money from a bank, because they believe the bank may fail in the near future. It may occur when, in a fractional-reserve banking system (where banks normally only keep a small proportion of their assets as cash), a large volume of customers seek to withdraw a greater amount of cash from deposit accounts with a financia
BankingBanking in Argentina
During the 1990s, marked by President Carlos Menem's policies of liberalization, Argentina's financial system saw a significant consolidation and strengthening, in large part through foreign investment. In addition to high reserve and capital-adequacy requirements, the Central Bank of Argentina maintained a repurchase agreement with a consortium of international banks to provide a $6,000
BankingBanking in Egypt
Banking in Egypt is regulated by the Central Bank of Egypt. Egypt’s banking sector has undergone major reforms since the 1990s, resulting in a liberalized and modernized system aligned with international standards. Financial inclusion has expanded, with 74.8% of Egyptians aged 15 and above using financial accounts, reaching 52 million users by 2024. Usage spans banks, Egypt Post, mobile
BankingBaring crisis
The Baring crisis or the Panic of 1890 was an acute recession in the United States. Although less serious than other panics of the era, it is the 19th century’s most famous sovereign debt crisis, and the 17th largest decline in U.S. stock market history.
Trading basicsBoston Market
Boston Market Corporation, known as Boston Chicken until 1995, is an American fast casual restaurant chain headquartered in Newtown Township, Pennsylvania. Since 2020, it has been owned by Engage Brands, LLC, a company of Rohan Group. From 1985 to 1995, Boston Market was known as Boston Chicken, which rapidly expanded to over a thousand locations. By the late 1990s, the chain filed for b
Trading basicsBrigade Capital
Brigade Capital Management, LP, more commonly referred to as Brigade Capital, is a global alternative investment manager specializing in credit investment strategies. The firm employs a multi-strategy, multi-asset class investment approach focused on leveraged balance sheets and manages core strategies across long/short credit, distressed debt, capital structure arbitrage, long/short eq
FinanceCarmen Reinhart
Carmen M. Reinhart (née Castellanos, born October 7, 1955) is a Cuban-American economist and the Minos A. Zombanakis Professor of the International Financial System at Harvard Kennedy School. Previously, she was the Dennis Weatherstone Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics and Professor of Economics and Director of the Center for International Economics at t
Trading basicsCeltic Tiger
The "Celtic Tiger" (Irish: An Tíogar Ceilteach) is a term referring to the economy of Ireland from the mid-1990s to the end of the first decade of the 21st century, a period of rapid real economic growth fuelled by foreign direct investment. The boom was dampened by a subsequent property bubble in 2007 which brought forth a severe economic downturn culminating in 2008's Great Recession.
BankingChinese Banking Liquidity Crisis of 2013
The Chinese Banking Liquidity Crisis of 2013 was a sudden credit crunch affecting China's commercial banks evidenced by a rapid rise on 20 June 2013 in the Shanghai interbank overnight lending rates to a high of 30 percent from its usual rate of less than 3%. The ensuing panic affected gold markets and stock. China's regulation of the foreign exchange market had caused a decline in inflo
Trading basicsChronic inflation
Chronic inflation is an economic phenomenon occurring when a country experiences high inflation for a prolonged period (several years or decades) due to continual increases in the money supply among other things. In countries with chronic inflation, inflation expectations become 'built-in', and it becomes extremely difficult to reduce the inflation rate because the process of reducing i
Fiat currenciesClassical dichotomy
In macroeconomics, the classical dichotomy is the idea, attributed to classical and pre-Keynesian economics, that real and nominal variables can be analyzed separately. To be precise, an economy exhibits the classical dichotomy if real variables such as output and real interest rates can be completely analyzed without considering what is happening to their nominal counterparts, the mone
Trading basicsCliff Boro
Clifford Todd Boro is an American entrepreneur and startup investor. He is best known as cofounder and former CEO of KidZui (now Zui.com), a child-oriented web browser and search engine. Saban Brands bought Zui.com in September 2012. He founded Internet Financial Network (later Infogate). AOL Time Warner bought Infogate in March 2003. He is cofounder and managing partner of The Team Gr
Trading basicsCommodity price shocks
Commodity price shocks are times when the prices for commodities have drastically increased or decreased over a short span of time.
FinanceComputer Associates
Computer Associates International, Inc., later CA, Inc., and CA Technologies, Inc., was an American multinational enterprise software developer and publisher that existed from 1976 to 2018. CA grew to rank as one of the largest independent software corporations in the world, and at one point was the second largest. The company created system software (and for a while applications softwar
Trading basicsCoolhunting
Coolhunting is a form of marketing where professionals make observations and predictions based on changes of new or existing "cool" cultural fads and trends. Coolhunting is also referred to as "trend spotting", and is a subset of trend analysis. The term was coined in the early 1990s.
BankingCopper Panic of 1789
The Copper Panic of 1789 was a monetary crisis of the early United States that was caused by debasement and loss of confidence in copper coins that occurred under the presidency of George Washington. Following the American Revolutionary War, several U.S. states began minting their own coins, largely using copper. As copper was relatively easy to counterfeit, counterfeiters in states whic
Trading basicsCorporate debt bubble
The corporate debt bubble is the large increase in corporate bonds, excluding that of financial institutions, following the 2008 financial crisis. Global corporate debt rose from 84% of gross world product in 2009 to 92% in 2019, or about $72 trillion. In the world's eight largest economies—the United States, China, Japan, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Italy, and Germany—total corpo
FinanceCredit crunch
A credit crunch (a credit squeeze, credit tightening or credit crisis) is a sudden reduction in the general availability of loans (or credit) or a sudden tightening of the conditions required to obtain a loan from banks. A credit crunch generally involves a reduction in the availability of credit independent of a rise in official interest rates. In such situations, the relationship betwe
Trading basicsCredit in the Thirteen Colonies
The Thirteen Colonies made wide use of credit. Credit was used for domestic and overseas goods, as well as a method of repayment. Credit allowed colonists to defer their payments for goods and services until a later time, which was a more favourable payment option than cash or barter. Institutions accepted credit despite its risks, including that of the inability of a debtor to repay.
FinanceCryptocurrency bubble
A cryptocurrency bubble is a phenomenon where the market increasingly considers the going price of cryptocurrency assets to be inflated against their hypothetical value. The history of cryptocurrency has been marked by several speculative bubbles on a boom to bust cycle.
FinanceCurrency crisis
A currency crisis is a type of financial crisis, and is often associated with a real economic crisis. A currency crisis raises the probability of a banking crisis or a default crisis. During a currency crisis the value of foreign denominated debt will rise drastically relative to the declining value of the home currency. Generally doubt exists as to whether a country's central bank has s
Trading basicsData broker
A data broker is an individual or company that specializes in collecting personal data (such as income, ethnicity, political beliefs, or geolocation data) or data about people, mostly from public records but sometimes sourced privately, and selling or licensing such information to third parties for a variety of uses. Sources, usually Internet-based since the 1990s, may include census and
Fiat currenciesDebasement
A debasement of coinage is the practice of lowering the intrinsic value of coins, especially when used in connection with commodity money, such as gold or silver coins, while continuing to circulate them at face value. A coin is said to be debased if the quantity of gold, silver, copper or nickel in the coin is reduced.
FinanceDebt crisis
A debt crisis is a situation in which a government (nation, state/province, county, or city etc.) loses the ability of paying back its governmental debt. When the expenditures of a government are more than its tax revenues for a prolonged period, the government may enter into a debt crisis. Various forms of governments finance their expenditures primarily by raising money through taxatio
Fiat currenciesDebt monetization
Debt monetization or monetary financing is the practice of a government borrowing money from the central bank to finance public spending instead of selling bonds to private investors or raising taxes. The central banks who buy government debt, are essentially creating new money in the process to do so. This practice is often informally and pejoratively called printing money or (net) mone
Fiat currenciesDeflation
In economics, deflation is an increase in the real value of the monetary unit of account, as reflected in a decrease in the general price level of goods and services exchanged, measurable by broad price indices.
Trading basicsDemand for money
In monetary economics, the demand for money is the desired holding of financial assets in the form of money: that is, cash or bank deposits rather than investments. It can refer to the demand for money narrowly defined as M1 (directly spendable holdings), or for money in the broader sense of M2 or M3.
Trading basicsDemand shock
In economics, a demand shock is a sudden event that increases or decreases demand for goods or services temporarily.
Trading basicsDemand-pull inflation
Demand-pull inflation occurs when aggregate demand in an economy is more than aggregate supply. It involves inflation rising as real gross domestic product rises and unemployment falls, as the economy moves along the Phillips curve. This is commonly described as "too much money chasing too few goods". More accurately, it should be described as involving "too much money spent chasing too
Trading basicsDisinflation
Disinflation is a decrease in the rate of inflation – a slowdown in the relative rate of increase of the general price level of goods and services in a nation's gross domestic product over time. It is the opposite of reflation.
Trading basicsDistribution waterfall
In private equity investing, distribution waterfall is a method by which the capital gained by the fund is allocated between the limited partners (LPs) and the general partner (GP).
Trading basicsDoing a Leeds
"Doing a Leeds" is an English football phrase which is synonymous with the potentially dire consequences for domestic clubs in financial mismanagement. The phrase arose after the rapid decline of then Premier League club Leeds United, who invested heavily in the late 1990s and early 2000s to attain domestic and lucrative European success, which was capped by high profile appearances in t
Trading basicsE-commerce in Southeast Asia
E-commerce in Southeast Asia is the buying and selling of products and services over the internet in the countries of Southeast Asia. These practices reached Southeast Asia during the dot-com mania in the 1990s. After the dot-com bust, local e-companies have seen promising growth in this sector.
Trading basicsE-TAG
e-TAG is a free-flow tolling electronic toll collection system used on all tollways throughout Australia. It was originally developed by Transurban for use on their CityLink tollway in the late 1990s, with the system since adopted by all toll roads, bridges and tunnels in Australia. The technology had different names depending on the issuer, such as Linkt (Transurban, includes former nam
FinanceEarly 1990s depression in Finland
The early 1990s depression in Finland was one of the worst economic crises in Finland's history, by some considered even worse there than the 1930s Great Depression.
Trading basicsEarnings growth
Earnings growth is the annual compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of earnings from investments.
FinanceEconomic bubble
An economic bubble (also called a speculative bubble, asset bubble, or simply financial bubble) is a period when current asset prices greatly exceed their intrinsic valuation, being the valuation that the underlying long-term fundamentals justify. Bubbles can be caused by overly optimistic projections about the scale and sustainability of growth (e.g. dot-com bubble), and/or by the belie
Trading basicsEconomic consequences of the Russo-Ukrainian war (2022–present)
The economic consequences of the Russo-Ukrainian war (2022–present) began in late February 2022, in the days after Russia recognized two breakaway Ukrainian republics and launched an invasion of Ukraine. The subsequent economic sanctions have targeted large parts of the Russian economy, Russian oligarchs, and members of the Russian government. Russia responded in kind. A wave of protests
Trading basicsEconomic expansion
An economic expansion is an upturn in the level of economic activity and of the goods and services available. It is a finite period of growth, often measured by a rise in real GDP, that marks a reversal from a previous period, for example, while recovering from a recession. The explanation of fluctuations in aggregate economic activity between expansions and contractions ("booms" and "bu
Trading basicsEconomic liberalisation in India
Economic liberalisation in India refers to the policy changes, made mainly from 1991 onwards, that opened the Indian economy to foreign trade and investment and gave markets and private enterprises a larger role. Although some attempts at liberalisation occurred in 1966 and the early 1980s, a more comprehensive reform came in 1991.
Trading basicsEconomic stagnation
Economic stagnation is a prolonged period of slow economic growth, typically measured in GDP per capita growth or median income growth, which is usually accompanied by high unemployment. Under some definitions, slow means significantly slower than potential growth as estimated by macroeconomists, even though the growth rate may be nominally higher than in other countries not experiencing
Trading basicsEmail spam
Email spam, also referred to as junk email, spam mail, or simply spam, refers to unsolicited messages sent in bulk via email. The term originates from a Monty Python sketch, where the name of a canned meat product, "Spam", is used repetitively, mirroring the intrusive nature of unwanted emails. Since the early 1990s, spam has grown significantly, with estimates suggesting that by 2014, i
Trading basicsEmployer branding
Employer brand is branding and marketing the entirety of the employment experience. It describes an employer's reputation as a place to work, and their employee value proposition, as opposed to the more general corporate brand reputation and value proposition to customers. The term was first used in the early 1990s, and has since become widely adopted by the global management community.
FinanceEnvy ratio
Envy ratio, in finance, refers to the ratio of the price paid by investors to the price paid by the management team for their respective shares of equity.
Fiat currenciesEverything bubble
The "everything bubble" refers to the impact on the values of asset prices, including equities, real estate, bonds, many commodities, and cryptocurrencies, due to quantitative easing by the Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, and the Bank of Japan. The policy itself and the techniques of direct and indirect methods of quantitative easing used to execute it are sometimes referred to a
BankingFederal funds rate
The federal funds rate is the interest rate at which depository institutions (banks and credit unions) lend reserve balances to other depository institutions overnight on an uncollateralized basis. Reserve balances are amounts held at the Federal Reserve. Institutions with surplus balances in their accounts lend those balances to institutions in need of larger balances. The federal funds
FinanceFinance in India
A prevailing trend from the medieval period, most Indians invest more than half of personal savings physical assets such as land, houses, gold, livestock, and other precious metals and ornaments. Since liberalisation in the 1990s, the Government of India has approved significant banking reforms. While some of these relate to nationalised banks (like encouraging mergers, reducing governme
FinanceFinancial contagion
Financial contagion refers to "the spread of market disturbances—mostly on the downside—from one country to the other, a process observed through co-movements in exchange rates, stock prices, sovereign spreads, and capital flows". Financial contagion can be a potential risk for countries who are trying to integrate their financial system with international financial markets and instituti
Trading basicsFinancial crisis
A financial crisis is any of a broad variety of situations in which some financial assets suddenly lose a large part of their nominal value. A broader reduction of economic activity affecting the whole economy is known as an economic crisis. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, many financial crises were associated with banking panics, and many recessions coincided with these panics. Ot
FinanceFinancial history of the Dutch Republic
The financial history of the Dutch Republic involves the interrelated development of financial institutions in the Dutch Republic. The rapid economic development of the country after the Dutch Revolt in the years 1585–1620 accompanied by an equally rapid accumulation of a large fund of savings, created the need to invest those savings profitably. The Dutch financial sector, both in its p
FinanceFinancial market impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
Economic turmoil associated with the COVID-19 pandemic has had wide-ranging and severe impacts upon financial markets, including stock, bond, and commodity (including crude oil and gold) markets. Major events included a described Russia–Saudi Arabia oil price war, which after failing to reach an OPEC+ agreement resulted in a collapse of crude oil prices and a stock market crash in March
FinanceFinancial Revolution
The Financial Revolution was a set of economic and financial reforms in Great Britain after the Glorious Revolution in 1688 when William III invaded England. The reforms were based in part on Dutch economic and financial innovations that were brought to England by William III. New institutions were created: a public debt (first government bonds were issued in 1693) and the Bank of Englan
FinanceFlash crash
In modern finance, a flash crash is a very rapid, deep, and volatile fall in security prices occurring within a very short time period followed by a quick recovery. Flash crashes are frequently blamed by media on trades executed by black-box trading, combined with high-frequency trading, whose speed and interconnectedness can result in the loss and recovery of billions of dollars in a ma
Trading basicsFour Asian Tigers
The Four Asian Tigers (a.k.a. the Four Asian Dragons or Four Little Dragons in Korean and Chinese) are the developed Asian economies of Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan. Between the early 1950s and 1990s, they underwent rapid industrialisation and maintained exceptionally high growth rates of more than 7 percent a year.
Payments & settlementFour Corners Model for Payment Security
The Four Corners model, often referred to as the Four Party Scheme is the most used card scheme in card payment systems worldwide. This model was introduced in the 1990s. It is a user-friendly card payment system based on an interbank clearing system and economic model established on multilateral interchange fees (MIF) paid between banks or other payment institutions.
BankingFunding liquidity
Funding liquidity is the availability of credit to finance the purchase of financial assets. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) defines funding liquidity as "the ability of a solvent institution to make agreed-upon payments in a timely fashion". In practice, funding liquidity refers to whether a bank or financial institution can meet its payment obligations at a given point in time.
Trading basicsGerman economic crisis (2022–present)
Since 2022, Germany's economy has experienced a downturn that marked a dramatic reversal of its previous "labour market miracle" period of 2005–2019. The country, which had been considered to be Europe's economic powerhouse in prior decades, became the worst-performing major economy globally in 2023 with a 0.9% contraction, followed by further 0.5% contraction in 2024 leading to recessio
BankingGhana banking crisis
The Ghana banking crisis was a severe banking crisis that affected Ghana between August 2017 and January 2020. The Bank of Ghana (BoG) allowed several indigenous banks to be taken over by private companies between August 2017 and January 2019 after Nana Akufo-Addo was elected president in December 2016. Most of the indigenous banks had been at the risk of defaulting on their loans, as th
Trading basicsGilded Age
In United States history, the Gilded Age is the period from about the late 1870s to the late 1890s, which occurred between the Reconstruction era and the Progressive Era. It was named by 1920s historians after Mark Twain's 1873 novel The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today.
Trading basicsGK Investment
GK Investment Holding Group SA is a Lugano-based private equity and investment firm whose primary focus is in the healthcare Real Estate, Private Equity and Consultancy sector. The principal areas of investment interest are in Africa, Europe, and Asia.
Trading basicsGlobal recession
A global recession is a recession that affects many countries around the world—that is, a period of global economic slowdown or declining economic output. Since World War II, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has identified five such recessions, with the COVID-19 recession being the most severe.
Trading basicsGold rush
A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, Greece, Venezuela, New Zealand, Brazil, Chile, South Africa, the United States, and Canada while smaller gold rushes took place elsewhere.
Trading basicsGreat Bullion Famine
The Great Bullion Famine was a shortage of precious metals that struck Europe in the 15th century, with the worst years of the famine being 1457 to 1464. During the Middle Ages, gold and silver coins saw widespread use as currency in Europe and facilitated trade with the Middle East and Asia; the shortage of these metals therefore became a problem for European economies. The main cause f
FinanceGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was marked by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and business failures around the world. The economic contagion began in 1929 in the United States, the largest economy in the world, with the devastating Wall
FinanceGreat Recession
The Great Recession was a period of contraction in economies around the world (particularly in the western world and associated countries) that occurred from late 2007 to mid-2009, overlapping with the closely related 2008 financial crisis. The scale and timing of the recession varied from country to country (see map). At the time, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded that it
BankingHistory of banking in the United Kingdom
Banking in the United Kingdom began in the Kingdom of England in the 17th century. The first activity in what later came to be known as banking was by goldsmiths who, after the dissolution of English monasteries by Henry VIII, began to accumulate significant stocks of gold.
Trading basicsHistory of Canadian currencies
The history of Canadian currencies began with Indigenous peoples in Canada prior to European contact, when they used items such as wampum and furs for trading purposes. The Indigenous peoples continued to use those items as currency when trade with Europeans began. During the period of French colonization, coins were introduced, as well as one of the first examples of paper currency by a
BankingHistory of investment banking in the United States
Philadelphia financier Jay Cooke established the first modern American investment bank during the Civil War era. However, private banks had been providing investment banking functions since the beginning of the 19th century and many of these evolved into investment banks in the post-bellum era. However, the evolution of firms into investment banks did not follow a single trajectory. Fo
FinanceHong Kong Stock Exchange
The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong (Chinese: 香港交易所, SEHK, also known as Hong Kong Stock Exchange) is a stock exchange based in Hong Kong. It is one of the largest stock exchanges in Asia and the 6th largest globally by market capitalization as of February 2026. The exchange plays a crucial role in connecting international investors with mainland Chinese companies, serving as a major platfor
FinanceHyperinflation
In economics, hyperinflation is a very high and typically accelerating inflation. It quickly erodes the real value of the local currency, as the prices of all goods increase. This causes people to minimize their holdings in that currency as they usually switch to more stable foreign currencies. Effective capital controls and currency substitution ("dollarization") are the orthodox soluti
FinanceHyperinflation in early Soviet Russia
In the early Soviet Union, there was a seven-year period of hyperinflation, running from the earliest days of the Bolshevik Revolution in November 1917 to the reestablishment of the gold standard with the introduction of the chervonets as part of the New Economic Policy. The inflationary crisis effectively ended in March 1924 with the introduction of the so-called "gold ruble" as the cou
Trading basicsInertial inflation
Inertial inflation is a situation in which all prices in an economy are continuously adjusted with relation to a price index by force of contracts.
Trading basicsInflation
In economics, inflation is an increase in the average price of goods and services in terms of money, though it originally referred to the increase of the money supply (monetary inflation) that can cause such a universal shift. This increase is measured using a price index, typically a consumer price index (CPI). When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods a
Trading basicsInterest rate
An interest rate is the amount of interest due per period, as a proportion of the amount lent, deposited, or borrowed. Interest rate periods are ordinarily a year and are often annualized when not. Alongside interest rates, three other variables determine total interest: principal sum, compounding frequency, and length of time.
FinanceInternational Business Companies Act
The International Business Companies Act, 1984 was a statute of the British Virgin Islands which permitted the incorporation of International Business Companies (IBCs) within the Territory. The Act played in a huge role in the economic and financial development of the Territory in the 1990s. It has been called "the most important piece of legislation in BVI history since the emancipati