Chinese parents’ preference for sons has given rise to a brewing social problem. With the advent of inexpensive ultrasounds, far more boys than girls are born in China – which has in turn given rise to a growing number of rootless, unmarried men.

The “missing women” problem may have also contributed to the U.S. housing and credit bubbles, new research suggests.

Through the first half of this decade, America bought far more than it produced, running up an a massive tab with its trading counterparts. In an effort to explain why this had happened, then-Fed governor Ben Bernanke in 2005 identified a “global savings glut.” Developing countries – China in particular – were saving more. Those savings were getting put into long-term debt, pushing interest rates lower.