27 Incredible Stock Market Statistics You Won’t Believe Are Real

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By Jacob Maslow

The stock market is a primary exercise of a practically free economy, where buyers and sellers are the significant drivers of the pricing of goods and services. So when you look at its numbers and the magnitude at which it operates, one can’t help but be amazed by them.

 

However, it’s not always rosy in stock investing, especially when we’re dealing with the recession and economic crisis. Hence, we find it worthwhile to present 27 of the most important and astounding stock market statistics, good and bad, reminding us how crucial a stable and healthy economy is for a nation’s growth.

  1. Global stock market capitalization -116.78 trillion dollars

Despite the devastating effects of lockdowns enforced in many parts of the world, the stock market’s resilience is quite remarkable, bouncing back big time. At the beginning of 2022, the total value of global stock markets has already reached nearly 117 trillion dollars, a 460 percent growth from its value of 25 trillion dollars in 2009.

  1. US stock market value – 41 trillion dollars

US stock exchanges, NYSE and NASDAQ, account for 54 percent of the total world stock market capitalization, dominating the market in value and scale. These operators are so big that their value is equivalent to combining the stock exchanges of Canada, Japan, London, China, Hongkong, Saudi Arabia, and Euronext.

  1. Stock ownership of US top 1% – 22 trillion dollars

The class gap cannot be broader and more evident than the value of stocks owned by the ultra-rich in the US. With the top 10% owning 89 percent of the stocks and funds in the country, that leaves only 11 percent for the rest of the investors.

  1. Number of stock exchange operators with more than 1 trillion dollars in market value – 19

Aside from the NYSE and NASDAQ, there are 17 more that are part of this exclusive trillion-dollar club. They include Shanghai Stock Exchange, Euronext, and Japan Exchange Group, to name a few. These operators account for over 93 percent of the world’s stock market cap.

  1. Total market value of top 5 US companies in the world – 7.93 trillion dollars

When you combine the valuation of Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, and Tesla, it will exceed the third highest stock market cap, the Shanghai Stock Exchange in China. However, it has a current value of 7.37 trillion dollars, more than half a trillion short of the top 5’s total market cap.

  1. Approximate number of US stock indices – 5,000

Many of us are familiar with three of them, the most widely followed: the S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average, and NASDAQ Composite. However, it is the Wilshire 5000 that has all the listed companies in the US; hence it is often referred to as the total market index.

  1. Longest US bull market – 11 years

The 11-year bull run is the longest in US record, whose end in March 2020 was brought about by the sudden Covid shutdown. It achieved its extraordinary feat with slow yet steady growth, lasting more than twice the industry average of 4 years.

  1. Stock market correction frequency – once in 2 years

The biennial correction in the stock market is a significant improvement from its usual once-a-year occurrence pre-World War II. This market correction refers to a drop in stocks ranging from 10 to 20%. Beyond this figure, you have a bear market just like what happened during the initial lockdowns, where stocks have dropped significantly but have since recovered.

  1. Apple’s current market cap – 2.5 trillion dollars

Based on its staggering figures, Apple is the most valuable company globally. It not only has the highest market value among corporations, but it was also the first publicly-traded company to hit the 3 trillion mark in early 2022. What’s more impressive is that the 1 trillion increase occurred in less than 2 years since it first reached 2 trillion.

  1. IT stock market share – 27.6 percent

As of 2021, IT’s exposure to the S&P 500 index is almost 28 percent. This sector consists of software services, hardware, electronic equipment, etc., led by Apple, Microsoft, and Nvidia Corporation. Its dominance is not surprising because its ubiquitous products are made for a virtual world that has prospered even more during the Covid lockdowns.

  1. Estimated algorithmic trading – above 80%

The days of traditional trading where orders are placed over the phone are almost gone, at least in the US and several other developed financial markets. It has been replaced by algorithmic trading, more than 80 percent of it. This trading is an automated approach using computer algorithms to trade the stock market. While it is widely used in first-world countries, it has yet to catch on among emerging economies such as India, whose overall market volume is only 40 percent.

  1. Total share buybacks in 2021 – 881.7 billion dollars

2021 has set a new record for the highest share repurchases amounting to over 880 billion dollars. It marks an almost 70 percent increase from 2020 and a 9.3 percent rise from the previous record of 806.4 billion dollars in 2018. Moreover, analysts expect its number to rise in 2022 despite reduced prices, which will raise the number of purchased shares and jack its earnings-per-share.

  1. NASDAQ’s 20-year investment return – 907%

One of two goliaths in the industry, the NASDAQ 100 Index Tracking ETF would have made you nearly a 1000 percent return if you’ve had your money with them since 2002. As such, it has become the best performing major stock index. The honor of being the best in the world overall goes to the Indian Sensex, increasing 1792% in the last 2 decades.

  1. Average loss from the September effect – (-0.83%)

Historically, the three leading stock market indices had the worst performance in September. However, many stock analysts acknowledge it as a   global phenomenon and attribute it to seasonal portfolio changes and the practice of selling losing positions in mutual funds during this month. Conversely, April is the best month to buy stocks based on the increased average return of 2.4% within the last 20 years.

  1. Total stock market loss during the Great Depression – 89.2 percent

The Dow experienced its worst numbers from 381.17 to 41.22 and an almost 90 percent loss within 3 years of the stock market crash. Before the Great Depression, it was the roaring 20s for a reason – many businesses experienced significant success, frequently raising stock prices until 1929.

  1. Best stock market gain in the last 90 years – 46.59 percent

1933 is regarded as the best year after coming back from the Great Depression, rebounding with more than 46 percent. However, a series of wins and losses would ensue until the market earned big at 45.02 percent in 1954.

  1. Expected number of bear markets in a 50-year investment period – 14

Watching the stock dive may be pretty painful, but such downturns are temporary and short-lived. And besides, one should not automatically assume that bear markets are the same as recessions. Out of the 26 bear markets since the Great Depression, you can only associate 15 recessions with them.

  1. Stock market yield from 1995 to 1999 – 26.3% per year

This period has produced one of the best bull markets, coming off the heels of Bill Clinton’s special relationship with Tony Blair. A jump of 34.11% was recorded in 1995 and continued its exceptional showing for five years.

  1. S&P 500 annual return from 1996 to 2020 – 8 percent

We know that investors stand to earn more in stocks than in government bonds, but it does not happen 100 percent of the time. During this 25-year period, long-term bonds, which are one-third less volatile, beat the US stock market by earning more at 8.2 percent.

  1.  Number of economic recessions in the last century – 18

With 18 recessions in the last 100 years, one would occur every five years or so. While there is always that massive risk in the stock market, staying invested is the key to outliving such market crashes.

  1. Zoom stock gain in 2020 – 248 percent

While many companies have suffered from losses during the Covid lockdowns, there are a few that made bank. For example, zoom, a company that offers a teleconferencing platform, was one of the top gainers in 2020. From trading at under 69 dollars per share, it skyrocketed to more than 239 dollars in less than a year.

  1. Percentage of US households with equity overseas – 10 percent

Ten percent of U.S. households had equity in foreign investments, according to the Federal Reserve’s Survey of Consumer Finances. This was up from 7 percent three years ago. The survey does not specify the percentage of households with overseas investments held in the form of equity.

  1. Number of recessions since 2000 (excluding Covid recession) – 2

There have been two recessions since 2000, excluding the Covid recession. The first was from 2001 to 2002 and the second was from 2007 to 2009.

  1. Projected assets to be managed by robo advisors in 2022 – 1.78 trillion dollars

Robo advisors are expected to manage a staggering 1.78 trillion dollars in assets in just a few years. That represents a massive opportunity for these cutting-edge investment firms, and it’s one that they are well-positioned to capitalize on.

  1. Major global stock exchanges – 60

These include the likes of the New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq, London Stock Exchange, and Tokyo Stock Exchange. Each one offers investors a different range of opportunities to buy and sell stocks.

  1. Age of the longest operating stock exchange (Frankfurt Stock Exchange) – 436 years

The Frankfurt Stock Exchange is one of the oldest stock exchanges globally. It was founded in 1585 by an edict of Emperor Maximilian I. This makes it the oldest still operating exchange in the world. The exchange is also one of the largest in Germany, with a market capitalization of over €1 trillion.

  1. NASDAQ stock exchange size – 3,767 listed companies

The NASDAQ is a relatively young exchange, having only been founded in 1971. It was the first stock exchange to be entirely electronic, and it has remained at the forefront of technological innovation ever since. Today, the NASDAQ is one of the most widely-used and respected stock exchanges globally.

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