"I can't see even a sliver of hope!"
Klein let out a pained howl, then collapsed in the trading hall. The staff around him looked at him sympathetically, but everyone was having a hard time these days, so no one stepped forward with a word of comfort. They had long grown accustomed to such scenes.
Klein asked a question that pierced the soul: "Who can save us now?"
The answer was no one. The stock market had always been a high-risk gamble, and naturally shareholders had to bear the risks themselves. From the day the exchange was established, it had washed its hands clean of responsibility, much like the warning printed on cigarette packs that smoking was harmful to health.
Of course, a stock market collapse would also have a major negative impact on the Austro-Hungarian Empire's economy. Active government intervention could still reduce some losses.
If this had been Germany, a country with extremely strong government execution, that might have been possible. But the Austro-Hungarian Empire could forget it. In terms of economic policy, the Austro-Hungarian Empire's finances had always been unstable, while its economy suffered from imbalance and protectionist tendencies. Austria and Hungary were typical examples.
Now, Austria's true capital magnates were racking their brains to shift the crisis elsewhere, and neighboring Hungary was one of their targets. Likewise, Hungary's great nobles wanted to sell off their grain as quickly as possible. You wanted to dump industrial goods on me, while I wanted to dump agricultural products on you! Both sides raised tariffs.
As for the Central Government, it could only stare helplessly. It normally struggled with its finances, so there was even less chance it had money to rescue the market. The banks themselves could barely protect themselves now; there was nowhere even to borrow money from.