Stock markets are made to have their ups and downs. After all, the United States bounced back in the’20s after a decade of Depression due to what is recorded as the first stock market crash in the world, and for a brief moment in the’80s, it was thought that the stock market in the States and in a number of countries wasn’t going to recover from another nosedive. Playing the numbers is a risk, even in a gentleman’s game like the stock market, and whether it’s Hong Kong or NASDAQ, analysts have a difficult time of predicting exactly what’s going to happen. One thing’s for sure, though: no one quite knew what was coming in 2008.

No one has been more confused about recent events in the global economy than the numerous consumers in various countries. It truly came as a surprise to people all over the world when global markets started tanking in October of 2008, mostly because after other near-misses in the global economy, it’s mystifying to think that something could go on for so long and end so poorly.

It’s no wonder that trouble in the United States could bring a global economy down, especially when the numbers are looked at. A significant chunk of the global economy depends on the economy and the markets of the United States. A number of smaller countries didn’t have the pleasure of getting bailed out by their federal governments, with countries such as Iceland going completely broke simply because a country that small could not possibly bail itself right out.

International industry is a major component in how the financial troubles of one major industrialized nation could impact so many others. Many business are now international, especially corporations with a great deal of power and market shares. To do business well in the 21st century is to understand it as an international enterprise, and since investments are tied into a world scale, it’s no wonder that stock markets crashing can have such an epic and global effect.

Part of the reason that the last crash impacted so many countries worldwide is that, instead of simply investing in national markets, many different investors of all tiers go outside of the country to other markets around the world. With an already fuzzy business of regulation, it gets even more confusing when people are working through international banking institutions.

What’s surprising is that no one was there sounding the alarm louder when the slip started to take place. After all, the United States has survived one Great Depression and dodged a financial bullet in the’80s. There were supposed to be systems in place to stop things from getting to the point where worries were justified, let alone the point where the federal government has to step in and international leaders are wringing their hands.

It wasn’t just the market, but the banks, that played a part in the latest near-collapse. With so many banks folding left and right, not just in the United States but in many European nations, and even as far away as Asia, federal governments had to scramble. In some countries, like Iceland, the federal government couldn’t bail out the banks and outsiders had to step in, while in the United States, the government now owns shares in Bank of America, like it or not, and BoA has been an integral part of taking over other failing banks.

Playing the market has always been a little bit unpredictable, but the recent events are truly unprecedented. While regular people reading the newspaper might feel as though they have missed something significant in their inability to process recent current events in the financial sector, the fact of the matter is that it is baffling things were allowed to get this bad.

Damian Papworth enjoys stock market investing. It is a big element of his work from home income.

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