History's nine worst asset bubbles....and one set to burst?

NINE WORST ASSET BUBBLES

Investment Week counts down nine of the worst speculative bubbles in the history of financial markets, and wonders which one could be next...

10. Tulip mania During the 17th century, the Golden Age for the Netherlands, what was arguably the first recorded speculative bubble formed. Contract prices of tulip bulbs reached incredible highs, with a single bulb fetching 10 times the annual income of a skilled craftsman at the bubble’s 1637 peak, according to some estimates. However, some academics contend this price speculation was not severe enough to qualify as a true bubble, because the price of tulip bulbs would need to have become unhinged from their intrinsic value. 9. Spanish property Spanish real estate prices cl...