<p><pre><code>  &gt; So why are people then trading stocks in China or India or
  &gt; wherever if they don&#x27;t trust the system?
</code></pre>
If you&#x27;re speculating, i.e. purchasing for the sole purpose of selling it to someone else, who is also speculating, it doesn&#x27;t matter whether the system is trustworthy, it only matters whether there is a &quot;greater fool&quot; standing ready to trade with you.<p>If the perception is there that people are trading in these markets, people will trade in these markets. But without fundamentals, the whole thing can quickly suffer from a collapse in confidence, followed by a &quot;run.&quot;<p>It&#x27;s no different than buying Bitcoins. Why speculate in bitcoins? Because other people are speculating in bitcoins.