I don't know exactly to what extent this is true, but you hear about the Chinese being a definite reason why koi prices have climbed so high. I know that the amount of Chinese people who are multimillionaires and even billionaires has really gone up in the past 10 or 15 years due to the country's economic gains. Dealers would have the best perspective on this I suppose. It's kind of a shame when billionaires are filling giant ponds with $50K koi mainly because it's a status symbol. Maybe I'm off base with this, but I've heard this idea alluded to multiple times...