The magic of margin was that, if shares rose a mere 10 per cent, you doubled your money, turning $10 million into $20 million. The catch was that, if shares fell by 10 per cent, the broker could insist that you keep the value of your portfolio by adding another $10 million. If you didn’t have a spare $10 million, you were bankrupt.
Everybody knows that economists are into thrill seeking and extreme sports. It's the dismal science. You've got to do something exciting on the weekends.
http://www.businessspectator.com.au/bs.nsf/Article/financial-crisis-economy-stock-market-shares-pd20120923-YEDVJ