The 21st century has proven to be as economically tumultuous as the preceding two centuries. This period has seen multiple financial crises striking nations, regions, and—in the case of the 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Great Recession—the entire global economy. All financial crises 🐷share certain characterꦉistics, but each tells its own unique story with its own lessons for the future. Read on to learn more about the three most notable financial crises the world experienced in the 21st century.

2001–2002 Argentine Economic Crisis

Argentina experienced its first financial crisis of the 21st century from 2001–2002, which involved the combination of a 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:currency crisis and a financial panic. An unsuccessful hard 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:currency peg to the U.S. dollar left the Argentine peso in disarray. Bank depositors panicked when the Argentine government flirted with a deposit freeze, causing interest rates to spike sharply.

On Dec. 1, 2001, Minister of Economy Domingo Cavallo enacted a freeze on bank deposits. Within the week, the 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced it would no longer offer support to Argentina as the country was deemed a serial defaulter. International authorities didn't believe proper reforms would actually take place.

Financial Crisis

The Argentine government lost access to the capital markets and private Argentine 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:financial institutions were also cut off. Many businesses closed. Some foreign banks—which were a significant presence—pulled out rather than risk their assets. The interest rates' erratic and extreme nature made it virtually impossible for any financial firm to function properly.

The Argentine 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:banking sector was lauded for its progressive regulations in the late 1990s, but that didn't stop the carnage of the 2001–2002 crash. By 2002, the default rate among bond issuers was nearly 60%. Local debtors also suffered, and their subsequent nonpayments crushed commercial lenders.

The government of Argentina didn't fare much better. With the economy in a downward spiral, high unemployment, and no access to credit markets, the Argentine government defaulted on approximately $100 billion worth of its debt. In other words, the government walked away from investors that bought Argentine government bonds.

Currency Crisis

With the economy struggling and uncertainty su𝕴rrounding the stabili𝓰ty of the federal government, investment capital fled the country. The result was a devaluation or depreciation of the Argentine peso as investors sold their peso-denominated investments for foreign holdings.

It's common for emerging market economies to denominate their debt in U.S. dollars, and during a devaluation, it can cripple a country. Any debt that was denominated in dollars for the government, companies, and individuals increased significantly nearly overnight since taxes and revenue were earned in pesos.

In other words, far more pesos were needed to pay off the same principal balance owed for the dollar-denominated loans due sole💙ly to the peso exchange🌞 rate devaluation against the dollar.

2007–2009 Global Financial Crisis

Widely considered the worst global economic crisis since the Great Depression, the global 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:financial crisis in 2007-2009 ignited in the U.S. and spread across most of the developed world. Plenty has been written about the nature and causes of the 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Great Recession, but the essential story centers around major investment banks that overleveraged themselves using 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:mortgage-backed securities (MBSs).

The returns and prices of the banks' MBS instruments were predicated on rising home prices caused by an unsustainable 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:asset bubble in the U.S. housing market. Falling housing prices created a chain reaction of defaults by bond issuers across the country, starting in 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:subprime mortgages and eventually spreading throughout the entire MBS market.

The early stages of the crisis began in the second half of 2007, eventually peaking in September 2008. Several global investment banks were compromised, including Lehman Brothers, AIG, Bear Stearns, Couꦉntrywide Financial, Wachovia, and Washingtꦑon Mutual.

There were numerous bank failures in Europe as well, including the Royal Bank of Scotland, which posted a £24.1 billion ($34.3 billion) loss in 2008. RBS was one of the banks the British government had to bail out with its £45 billion ($63 billion) rescue package. The worst of the U.S. recession occurred in late 2008 and early 2009, but it took a few months for panic to hit Europe. Countries such as Greece, Ireland, and Portugal were hit hardest.

However, the impact of the financial crisis wasn't limited to the U.S. and Europe. Global 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:gross domestic product (GDP), which measures the total output of goods and services for all countries, declined in 2009 to -1.3% from 2.1% in 2008, according to the World Bank.

2014 Russian Financial Crisis

The Vladimir Putin-led Russian economy grew appreciably in the first half of the 21st century, thanks in large part to the thriving energy sector and rising global 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:commodity prices. The Russian economy became so dependent on energy exports that nearly half of the Russian government's revenues were♒ generated by the sale of oil and natural gas.

But global oil prices took a nosedive in June 2014. The average price for a barrel of oil dropped nearly 60% in seven months from the previous $100 threshold. The dip below $100 was noteworthy since that was the number that Russian officials estimated was necessary to keep a 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:balanced budget.

Putin exacerbated the energy problem by invading and annexing Crimea from Ukraine, resulting in economic sanctions from the U.S. and Europe. Major financial institutions, such as Goldman Sachs, began to cut off capital and cash to Russia. The Russian government responded with aggressive 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:monetary expansion, leading to high inflation and crippling lඣosses among Russian banks.

As a result, economic sanctions were imposed by the U.S., Europe, and other countries, including a ban on buying western technology to develop oil. Other sanctions included blocking Russian banks from obtaining capital from Europe or the U.S.

The impact of the crisis and the sanctions on the Russian economy was significant. In 2015, the GDP declined by approximately 2% from the year earlier. It wasn't until 2017 before the Russian economy posted an annual growth rate of over 1.5%, according to the World Bank.

Financial Crisis vs. Fiscal Crises

Financial and fiscal crises can occur for several reasons due to both internal an🥃d external factors.

A crisis could emanate from within a nation's financial system or federal government. Conversely, an exogenous event, such as a natural disaster or global recession, could send a country into a financial and fiscal crisis. Although they may occur simultaneously, there are distinct differences between a financial and fiscal crisis.

Financial Crisis

A financial crisis is a generalized term for systemic problems in the larger 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:financial sector of a country or countries. Financial crises often, but not always, lead to 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:recessions. If the U.S. banking sᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚector collectively makes poor lending decisions, or if it is improp♏erly regulated or taxed, or if it experiences some other exogenous shock that causes industry-wide losses and loss of share prices, that's a financial crisis.

Of all the sectors in an economy, the financial sector is considered to be the most dangerous epicenter of a crisis since every othꦅer sector relies on it for monetary and structural suppo🌃rt.

Fiscal Crisis

A fiscal crisis, on the other hand, refers to a problem with government 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:balance sheets. If a government's debt load creates funding or performance issues, it may be said to experience a fiscal crisis. A fiscal crisis could occur in the United States if, for example, the federal government borrowed too much money and found itself shut out of the credit markets. A fiscal crisis could also occur if a major 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:credit rating agency downgraded U.S. Treasuries, or if�🍰� the federal government needed to suspend payments due to a budget shortfall.

A fiscal crisis can also occur following recessions and periods of high unemployment, which usually results in less tax revenue being collected, creating a revenue shortfall for the government. Excessive borrowing or debt during wartime can also push a nation into a fiscal crisis if the country can't repay the debt because of damage to the country's economy and infrastructure.

Financial and fiscal crises may occur independently or concurrently. It is possible for a government's fiscal crisis to bring about a financial crisis either directly or indirectly, particularly if the government responds improperly to its budget problems by confiscating savings, raiding 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:capital markets, or destroying the value of the local currency. For example, the 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:sovereign debt crisis that gripped much of southern Europe in 2010 was a fiscal crisis, but it wasn't a financial crisis.

The Bottom Line

A financial crisis is a failure of several financial systems, causing losses on a large scale. It is difficult to avoid financial crises because certain types of people will always try to find a way to make more money. Institutional investors, retail investors, and businesses will a꧅lways flock to apparently invincible investments, regulations will be circumvented, and so on—there will always be another financial crisis because money always gets tied up into investments that appear too good to be true.

Because financial systems have traditionally been tied together, one event outside of anyone's control that a system depends on usually triggers an implosion because it wasn't anticipated or the risks were ignored.