The document summarizes the causes and effects of the 2008 global financial crisis, known as the global meltdown. It discusses how loose lending standards for subprime mortgages in the US housing market led to a housing bubble. Complex financial products distributed these risky mortgages globally. The bubble eventually burst, leading to the collapse of major financial institutions in the US. The crisis spread worldwide and caused a global economic slowdown, rising unemployment, and government bailouts totaling $2.4 trillion. India's economy was also impacted through weakened sectors like IT, real estate, and exports.