The horizontal and vertical scales are proportionally correct so rate and magnitude of change shown for the two indexes are apples to apples, but the point of overlay is somewhat arbitrary. (S&P $200 is not equal to Nikkei 10,000 Yen) The phrase "American bubble starts" is an over simplification. Maybe "Stock boom impelled by very real tech-driven productivity gains but that will very quickly become an insane bubble phenomenon starts"
1) Was the bursting of the internet bubble actually just a correction within a larger "all assets that can be leveraged" bubble?
2) Was cutting interest rates in the very teeth of history's greatest asset bubble as response to the 1998 Asia crisis an astonishing error?
3) Did 9/11 cause/permit policies that prevented "taking our medicine" in a more timely manner?