Beatriz Hatz, of the U.S., competes at Women's Long Jump -T64 final at the Stade de France stadium, during the 2024 Paralympics, Saturday, August 31, 2024, in Paris, France. (Photo by Emilio Morenatti/AP Photo)

An Indian student warms up during the 44th Samartha Summer Sports Coaching Camp organized by Shree Samarth Vyayam Mandir in Mumbai, India, 25 April 2018. Mallakhamba arose in the western state of Maharashtra centuries ago. It was originally practiced by wrestlers and soldiers as a strength training exercise. (Photo by Divyakant Solanki/EPA/EFE)

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)

A violent eruption spews ash more than a kilometer into the sky above Mount Etna in Sicily on February 23, 2021. (Photo by Marco Restivo/Barcroft Studios via Getty Images)

Raquel Poti performs on stilts during the Amigos da Onca street Carnival party, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, February 10, 2024. (Photo by Bruna Prado/AP Photo)

Read Ziegler of the United States competes in the bike segment of the 2024 Intermountain Health IRONMAN 70.3 North American Championship on May 04, 2024 in St George, Utah. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images for IRONMAN/AFP Photo)

“Unexpected humour”. The Dog and the Faucet, in Kolkata, India on January 2017. (Photo by Pau Buscató/The Guardian)

Children playing their smart phone during Lunar New Year's Eve celebrations at Fuk Ling Miau temple on January 28, 2025 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year, will begin on January 29, 2025, marking the Year of the Snake. The celebrations, which last for approximately 15 days, are filled with traditional activities such as family gatherings, lion dances, and the exchange of red envelopes, making it a vibrant cultural event observed by Chinese communities worldwide. (Photo by Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images)