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Meet the "Beanie Meanie"

Aug 14, 2023
Econ Extra Credit newsletter #161
Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images

Why the Beanie Baby bubble burst

According to the "Beanie Meanie," a collectibles and antiques expert who was skeptical of the craze all along.
At the height of the Beanie Baby craze, people were making average profits of 500%. Then, as with all investment bubbles, came a crash.
Chris Hondros/Getty Images

Is the GameStop saga a sign of a stock market bubble?

One thing that bubbles have in common? The unpredictable consequences of economy-wide innovations.
speculative fevers often emerge during times of major economic and technological change. "And in essence, these speculators are accelerating the rise of a new economy," says Marketplace senior economics contributor Chris Farrell.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

With busts, the past is no indicator of the future

Jan 29, 2016
There's a limit to comparisons between the fall of oil and previous downturns.
A pumpjack sits on the outskirts of town at dawn in the Permian Basin oil field on January 21, 2016 in the oil town of Midland, Texas. 
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Home prices stay flat, tech bubble could burst

Apr 24, 2012
U.S. home prices stayed basically flat in February according to the S&P Case-Shiller Index. Without adjusting for seasonal fluctuations, prices actually dropped 0.8 percent to reach the lowest level since 2002.

"Officer Bubbles" goes after YouTube commenters

Oct 19, 2010
You may have heard us talk about this on our show. A constable in Toronto does not like having bubbles blown at a protest. He threatens to arrest...

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