TIP784: History's Biggest Market Bubbles w/ Clay Finck
We Study Billionaires - The Investor’s Podcast Network
From Canals to Railways: Early Returns Fade
Clay reviews canal-era booms, falling returns, and how railways represented a more transformative but speculative shift.
In this episode, Clay reviews Devil Take the Hindmost by Edward Chancellor and explores three of the most infamous market bubbles in financial history: the South Sea Bubble of 1720, the Railway Mania of 1845, and Japan’s asset bubble of the late 1980s.
These case studies examine how greed, leverage, speculation, and misplaced faith in government or institutions repeatedly led investors to abandon fundamentals.
IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:59 - Why financial bubbles repeat throughout history despite changing technologies and markets 00:03:14 - The key psychological forces that drive speculative manias 00:04:47 - How speculation differs from long-term investing, and where the line often gets crossed 00:25:25 - The role governments, institutions, and incentives play in fueling bubbles 00:34:35 - Why leverage amplifies both gains and losses during periods of extreme speculation 01:03:44 - Key lessons from history’s biggest bubbles Disclaimer: Slight discrepancies in the timestamps may occur due to podcast platform differences.
BOOKS AND RESOURCES
- Join the exclusive TIP Mastermind Community to engage in meaningful stock investing discussions with Stig, Clay, Kyle, and the other community members.
- Learn how to join us in Omaha for the Berkshire meeting here.
- Edward Chancellor’s book: Devil Take the Hindmost.
- Related Episode TIP729: Mastering the Capital Cycle w/ Clay Finck.
- Follow Clay on X and LinkedIn.
- Related books mentioned in the podcast.
- Ad-free episodes on our Premium Feed.
NEW TO THE SHOW?
- Get smarter about valuing businesses in just a few minutes each week through our newsletter, The Intrinsic Value Newsletter.
- Check out our We Study Billionaires Starter Packs.
- Follow our official social media accounts: X (Twitter) | LinkedIn | Facebook.
- Browse through all our episodes (complete with transcripts) here.
- Try our tool for picking stock winners and managing our portfolios: TIP Finance Tool.
- Enjoy exclusive perks from our favorite Apps and Services.
- Learn how to better start, manage, and grow your business with the best business podcasts.
SPONSORS
Support our free podcast by supporting our sponsors:
- HardBlock
- Human Rights Foundation
- Masterworks
- Linkedin Talent Solutions
- Simple Mining
- Plus500
- Shopify
- Fundrise
- Netsuite
References to any third-party products, services, or advertisers do not constitute endorsements, and The Investors Podcast Network is not responsible for any claims made by them.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm
The AI-powered Podcast Player
