This month in China, a rumor spread that the founder and chairman of Chinese real estate developer Evergrande had jumped off a building to take his own life. Subsequent reports indicate that Hui Ka Yan’s “suicide” was staged. Either way, it would not be surprising if the “death news” were true. Evergrande, once China’s largest developer by sales volume, has been in free fall all year. Its Hong Kong-listed stock is below a dime (as of Dec 9, 2022), down from $4 at its peak. Hui’s personal wealth has shrunk from $36 billion to $3 billion.