I'm disputing the "culture" claim. The vast majority of people don't behave this way. Most people have a day job and live life on the weekend. Inflation forces people to invest (usually in the stock market) to avoid losing the value of their money in the future. Whomever manages their money is going to try to get the best return. This cycle makes available vast amounts of capital to be invested in something.

This is a market reaction to inflation, with very little to do with culture.