In 1980, the Hunt brothers, Nelson Bunker and William Herbert, attempted to corner the silver market, leading to one of the most significant market crashes in history. The Hunt brothers, who inherited their father's oil business, were known for their wealth and influence in the commodities market. They believed that the US government's decision to increase interest rates and allow the dollar to appreciate would lead to inflation and a rise in silver prices.
Read more »Luckin Coffee, a Chinese coffee chain that was once considered a potential rival to Starbucks, has been embroiled in one of the biggest accounting scandals in recent years. In April 2020, the company disclosed that its chief operating officer had fabricated sales figures, which led to an investigation that uncovered a web of fraudulent transactions and accounting irregularities.
Read more »In 2003, one of the biggest financial scandals in Italian history came to light when Parmalat, the country's largest dairy company, collapsed. The scandal involved a massive fraud scheme that had been going on for years, involving fake accounting, embezzlement, and false statements to investors. The Parmalat scandal shook the Italian economy and led to widespread public outrage.
Read more »In 2005, the Refco scandal rocked the financial world, leading to the downfall of one of the largest commodities brokerages in the United States. The scandal involved allegations of fraud, hidden debts, and false accounting practices that ultimately led to Refco's bankruptcy and the criminal prosecution of several of its executives.
Read more »In the early 1990s, the Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) company was embroiled in a massive price-fixing conspiracy that rocked the agricultural industry. The ADM scandal involved executives from the company and several competitors, who were caught conspiring to fix the price of lysine, an amino acid used in animal feed. The scandal resulted in criminal charges, fines, and prison sentences for several high-ranking executives.
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