Ladies, never let it be said that women have no power. Why, just look at Japan, where housewives have managed to confound the experts in currency trading, keeping the yen unexpectedly low in trades against other major currencies and puzzling economists, all from the comfort of their home computers. But the party appears to be over, with many women losing all their gains and their savings as well as currency fluctuations in post-sub-prime mortgage meltdown jitters.

In an number of stories appearing over the past few months, these so-called Mrs. Watanabes (apparently, Mrs. Wantanabe is a Japanese archetype for a housewife who controls the family budget and savings), who have dabbled in currency trades from home computers and online brokerage accounts, often without the knowledge of their husbands. Many of these women chose currency speculation for very rational reasons – earning some money on their own, augmenting family savings, and in a way that could be done while balancing out family responsibilities.