When Meowth and its Pay Day attack were first discovered, it prompted a flurry of speculation so great it threatened to collapse the world's economy. The idea that a pokemon (even a rare one) could produce coins identical to those minted by governments from silver and gold mined at great expense was enough to trigger a period of lost savings and desperate purchases and massive inflation. Wealthy business interests and governments battled over Meowth habitat, seeking a pokemon apparently worth more than its weight in gold.
They were fighting for nothing.
It is true that Pay Day produces money, but it is a small amount, not a world-breaking one. Meowth are a high-maintenance pokemon with large appetites, but were this the only issue, Meowth gold would still be a profitable enterprise on par with farming Miltank. Those who attempted this enterprise soon found a far more damning issue: kleptomania.
Meowth produce coins, but they are also drawn to them. Shiny and round objects have been known to attract them from miles away for them to steal and add to their hoard. Few of these stashes have ever been found by trainers, and they typically steal far more than they create, and from their trainers before their neighbors. Most Meowth farmers went bankrupt, while a few learned to keep their pokemon on a leash and watch its front paws – and hide their own money for good measure. These lessons have been passed down to every Meowth trainer today, and most who use them can break even based on the battling income they provide, but the very idea of investing in Meowth remains a synonym for self-destructive foolishness to this day.