Bre-X Minerals, 1997
This Canadian company was involved in one of the largest stock swindles in history. Its Indonesian gold property, which was reported to contain more than 200 million ounces, was said to be the richest gold mine, ever. The stock price for Bre-X skyrocketed to a high of $280 (split adjusted), making millionaires out of ordinary people overnight. At its peak, Bre-X had a market capitalization of $4.4 billion.
The party ended on March 19, 1997, when the gold mine proved to be fraudulent and the stock tumbled to pennies, shortly after. The major losers were the Quebec public sector pension fund, which lost $70 million, the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, which lost $100 million, and the Ontario Municipal Employees' Retirement Board, which lost $45 million. FROM $280 TO ZERO