Why Barclays Capital thinks The Shard could spark a crash

Analysts at the company have noted an "unhealthy correlation" between the building of skyscrapers and subsequent financial crashes. It cited the Empire State building in New York, built as the Great Depression was underway, and the current world's tallest, the Burj Khalifa, built just before Dubai almost went bust. "Often the world's tallest buildings are simply the edifice of a broader skyscraper building boom, reflecting a widespread misallocation of capital and an impending economic correction," Barclays Capital said. The bank noted that the world's first skyscraper, the Equitab...