You know what the current situation vis-a-vis Gamestop and the like calls for @BretDevereaux? A series of articles on economic bubbles in ancient and medieval history.
-
Hm. There's Dutch tulips. There's a brief state-triggered bubble-and-crash in real estate under Tiberius. And no such discussion could be complete without the South Sea Company. Maybe, but I make no promises!
Though my impression is that the Gamestop stuff is as much economic warfare as it is a speculative bubble - folks not so much looking to make money off of pumping the price but just to damage some hedge funds.
Seems like an expensive hobby to me, but 
