Economic history chronicle archive
SHOBO replays 18 years of markets, from January 2008 to June 2026. These nine explainers cover the main events in order, from the 2008 crash to the KOSPI passing 9,000 in 2026.
2008 financial crisis and the KOSPI cut in half
Bad US mortgages brought down the global financial system and halved the KOSPI. SHOBO starts in the middle of this crash.
Read → History · 20112011 US credit downgrade and record gold
An earthquake in Japan, the euro debt crisis and the first-ever downgrade of US government debt. The KOSPI lost a quarter and gold hit a record.
Read → History · 20132013 Bitcoin, from $13 to $1,000
Bitcoin went from a programmers' experiment to a public asset, rising about 85 times by November. That is why it unlocks in 2013 in SHOBO.
Read → History · 2014~20162014–2016 oil crash and the boxed-in KOSPI
Oil fell from $108 to $26, and the KOSPI spent years between 1,900 and 2,100 while the Nasdaq made new highs.
Read → History · 20172017 Bitcoin's 19x run and the kimchi premium
Bitcoin went from $1,000 to $19,000, Korean exchanges traded far above global prices, and chip stocks boomed. By December 2018 Bitcoin was down 84%.
Read → History · 20202020 COVID shock and Korea's retail army
A 30% crash in a month and a rebound within the year. Korea's retail investors bought what foreigners sold.
Read → History · 20222022 rate surge and the Luna collapse
The US policy rate went from 0% to over 4% in twelve months. Stocks, bonds, crypto and property fell together, and Terra-Luna collapsed.
Read → History · 20242024 Bitcoin ETFs and Korea's martial law night
Spot Bitcoin ETFs were approved, NVIDIA became the world's most valuable company, and martial law was declared in Korea in December. A year and a half before SHOBO ends.
Read → History · 2025–20262025–2026 KOSPI 9,000 and the Iran war
From a tariff shock to a KOSPI above 9,000: the peaks in gold, silver and Bitcoin, and the Iran war and a 12% one-day drop. SHOBO's last year and a half.
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