Some are in it just for the money, others to help buy a meal. Then there are those who trade for fun or to spend time among friends. Millions of investors – pensioners, security guards, high-school students – dominate China's stock markets, conducting about 80 percent of all trades. Retirees gather in brokerage houses dotted around China also to enjoy some company and savour the air conditioning on hot days. Some start as young as 13, trading from home with an eye on future careers in finance. Winning isn't guaranteed. This year, among the most turbulent in China's financial history, its stock markets more than doubled in the six months to May, only to crash amid concerns that growth in the country, which makes everything from cars to steel, is slowing faster than previously thought. (Photo by Aly Song/Reuters)

Hungary's athlete Anna Toth receives help after a fall in the women's 100m hurdles semifinal during the European Athletics Championships at the Olympic stadium in Rome on June 8, 2024. (Photo by Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP Photo)

Natalia Grossman of the United States competes in the women's boulder lead climbing final at the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, Tuesday, October 24, 2023. Six new venues were built for 30 sporting events, an investment of $507 million. (Photo by Esteban Felix/AP Photo)

Challenger Bulgarian heavyweight boxer Kubrat Pulev (R) lies in the ring after being knocked down by Ukrainian WBA, WBO, IBO and IBF heavyweight boxing world champion Vladimir Klitschko (L), who celebrates with his brother Vitali (2nd L), as referee Tony Weeks checks on him after their title fight in Hamburg, November 15, 2014. World heavyweight champion Vladimir Klitschko knocked out Bulgarian challenger Kubrat Pulev with a fierce left hook in the fifth round on Saturday to retain his IBF title and end his opponent's unbeaten record. (Photo by Fabian Bimmer/Reuters)

Members of Myanmar's vovinam team warm up before competing in the vovinam event at the 32nd Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) in Phnom Penh on May 6, 2023. (Photo by Mohd Rasfan/AFP Photo)

Lyon's Ghanaian forward #37 Ernest Nuamah celebrates after scoring a goal during the French L1 football match between Olympique Lyonnais (OL) and Stade de Reims at The Groupama Stadium in Decines-Charpieu, central-eastern France on March 30, 2024. (Photo by Olivier Chassignole/AFP Photo)

Texas Longhorns cheerleaders pose for photos after defeating the Iowa State Cyclones in the Big 12 Women's Basketball Tournament championship game at T-Mobile Center on March 12, 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jay Biggerstaff/Getty Images)

Arsenal's Gabriel Magalhaes reacts after the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Southampton at the Emirates Stadium in London, Britain, 21 April 2023. (Photo by Neil Hall/EPA)