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What Dubai chocolate and Dogecoin have in common
In a surreal, attention-seeking economy, dangers lurk in the pursuit of hot meme stocks.
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In a world of appearances, Dubai chocolate is arguably more substantial than the Dogecoin, says the writer.
PHOTO: BERITA HARIAN
Tim Harford
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In the 1630s, Adriaen Pauw was the closest thing Holland had to a prime minister; he was also fabulously wealthy. To display his wealth and good taste, Pauw commissioned a tulip garden filled with cleverly positioned mirrors.
The heart of the garden was a sprinkling of the rarest tulips, multiplied by the mirrors into a bountiful array. The rarest bulbs cost as much as a house; even a plutocrat such as Pauw could not afford to fill his garden in the conventional manner.
