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)

Spanish director Pedro Almodovar and actress Penelope Cruz chat before the start of the Spanish Film Academy's Goya Awards ceremony in Madrid, Spain, February 4, 2017. (Photo by Paul Hanna/Reuters)

Model Adriana Lima attends the 19th Annual amfAR New York Gala at Cipriani Wall Street on February 8, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Splash News and Pictures)

Emily Ratajkowski is seen at “Jimmy Kimmel Live” on August 07, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rex Features/Shutterstock)

A Los Angeles County Fire helicopter flies over during the “Skirball Fire” which began early morning in Bel-Air, California, USA, 06 December 2017. An outbreak of several fires North of Los Angeles has occurred as one of the strongest Santa Ana winds forecast of the season is ongoing and expected to last several days. (Photo by John Cetrino/EPA/EFE)

Elizabeth Hurley (L) and Nicole Scherzinger serve dinner at the BOVET 1822 Brilliant is Beautiful Gala benefitting Artists for Peace and Justice's Global Education Fund for Women and Girls at Claridge's Hotel on December 1, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Undercover Israeli police arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during clashes following protests against U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Wednesday, December 13, 2017. (Photo by Nasser Shiyoukhi/AP Photo)

A woman films with her phone the incineration of packages of cocaine, part of a high seas drug seizure of 135 bundles by Salvadoran Naval Force, at a police base in Ilopango, El Salvador, November 29, 2021. (Photo by Jessica Orellana/Reuters)