Blackberry

Waterloo's tech boom went bust, revealing the rise of the intangible economy.

After a week of reporting and writing on booms and busts—everything from the economy of big oil boomtowns to the growth of the mental-health counseling field—Jamie Wiebe considers five of the biggest booms—and five of the biggest busts—of the past year.

Why David Hasselhoff and Baywatch hit it big in Germany, Mister Donut took off in Japan, and the ritual of Slurpee-filling is so different in Taiwan than in your local 7-Eleven.