100+ Extraordinary Stock Market Fun Facts You Need To Know

Blue

May 7, 2023

100+ Extraordinary Stock Market Fun Facts You Need To Know

The U.S. Stock Market is a vibrant industry. Its activities could influence monetary policy which could ultimately impact the US economy’s GDP. This post, we decided to have some fun and share 100+ stock market fun facts and stock market statistics. Comment below which are your favorite fun facts. Enjoy!

Historical Facts

In 1611 the first modern stock trading was born in Amsterdam, where The Dutch East India Company becomes the first publicly trade company. Thus, the Amsterdam Stock Exchange is considered the oldest exchange in the world.
The United States Stock Market has been around for over 200 years.
The Philadelphia Stock Exchange, originally named the Board of Brokers of Philadelphia was founded in 1970. Two years later, the New York Stock Exchange was founded.
The New York Stock Exchange traces its origins to the Buttonwood Agreement signed by 24 stockbrokers on May 17, 1792, as a response to the first financial panic in the young nation. The agreement was signed under a buttonwood tree. The tree still stands out the NYSE today.
In 1896 The Dow Jones Industrial Average is created. At first there were only 12 companies included in the list.

Stock Market Exchange Facts

The US Stock Market opens at 9:30AM ET and closes at 4:00PM ET
There are more than 60 stock exchanges around the world.
Within the financial markets, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is the largest stock exchange in the world by market capitalization and is located on Wall Street in New York City, New York.
There are over 2,800 companies listed on New York Stock Exchange, ranging from Blue Chip companies to high-growth companies.
The NYSE closing auction is the single largest liquidity event of the day, trading $18.9B per day on average.
The NYSE opening and closing bell is manufactured by G.S Edwards Company of Norwalk, CT.
The NYSE trademark registration includes a description for the sounds of the opening bell as follows: “The mark consists of the sound of a brass bell tuned to the pitch D, but with an overtone of D-sharp, struck nine times at a brisk tempo, with the final tone allowed to ring until the sound decays naturally. The rhythmic pattern is eight 16th notes and a quarter note; the total duration, from the striking of the first tone to the end of the decay on the final one, is just over 3 seconds.”
The first guest to ring the NYSE opening bell was Leonard Ross in 1956.
The NASDAQ is the second largest stock exchange in the world and is located in Times Square, New York.
The Tokyo Stock Exchange is the third largest by market cap
The London Stock Exchange is the fourth largest by market cap. The exchange is owned by the London Stock Exchange Group.
The Shanghai Stock Exchange is the fifth largest by market cap
The Hong Kong Stock Exchange is the third largest exchange in Asia, behind the Tokyo Stock Exchange and the Shanghai Stock Exchange
The Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) is the largest options exchange in the world.
The Bombay Stock Exchange was established in 1875 by cotton merchant Premchand Roychand, a Rajasthani Jain businessman, it is the oldest stock exchange in Asia, and also the tenth oldest in the world.

Index and Index Funds Facts

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) is the world’s most widely used stock market index and consists of 30 companies in the United States. They include AXP, AMGN, AAPL, BA, CAT, CSCO, CVX, GS, HD, HON, IBM, INTC, JNJ, KO, JPM, MCD, MMM, MRK, MSFT, NKE, PG, TRV, UNH, CRM, VZ, V, WBA, WMT, DIS, and DOW.
The S&P 500 is a stock index that tracks the performance of the largest 500 companies (by market capitalization) in the United States stock market.
The S&P500 has a market capitalization of ~$34.4 trillion.
The S&P 500 is made up of ~26% of Information Technology industry, followed by ~14% Healthcare
There are over 8,700 Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) worldwide
In 2021, there were 7,481 Mutual Funds in the United States.
In 2022, the global equity market cap was ~$117 trillion. In contrast, the global bond market value is ~$133 trillion. Moreover, the global real estate market value is ~$326 trillion.

Stock Market Crash Facts

The United States Stock Market has crashed multiple times since 1900 including the following
- 1907 – The Panic of 1907
- 1929 – Wall Street Crash of 1929
- 1987 – Black Monday
- 2000 – The Dot-Com Bubble
- 2008 – The Financial Crisis / The Global Financial Crisis
- 2020 – The COVID-19 Pandemic
The fastest bear market happened in 2020, when the S&P 500 fell 30% in 20 days.
The fastest recovery from a bear market in history occurred in 2020, when the S&P 500 rebounded over 50% in just over 120 days.
Apple (AAPL) is the world’s largest company by market capitalization. It market cap stand at ~$2.65T.
Apple (AAPL) was the first company to surpass a market cap of $1 trillion on August 2, 2018.
Apple (AAPl) was also the first company to surpass a market cap of $3 trillion on Jan 3, 2022.

Trading Facts

On an annual basis, the stock market will likely increase ~70% of the time.
A stock market circuit breaker has three thresholds – 7% (level 1), 13% (level 2), and 20% (level 3). Level 1 and 2 halt the market for 15 minutes, while level 3 halts the market for the remainder of the day.
United States Stock Market circuit breakers were first implemented after the Black Monday Crash of 1987.
Since its inception in 1988, circuit breakers were used only once on Oct 27, 1997; however, it was used 4 times in a matter of 10 days during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A bull market occurs when there is a rise of 20% or more in the stock market over a minimum of two months.
Bear markets occur when the stock market falls by 20% or more from its most recent high.
Stock market corrections occur when a share prices falls in value of at least 10% but not more than 20%.
The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) if referred to the ‘fear factor’ and measure market volatility over the next 30 days.
The VIX was originally introduced in 1993.
Thus far, there have been 55 Initial Public Offering (IPOs) in 2023. There were 222 IPOs in 2022, and 314 IPOs in 2021.
The largest single trading floor in the world belongs to the financial service firm UBS (formerly known as UBS Warburg) in Stamford, Connecticut, USA and measures 125 m (410 ft) long by 69 m (227 ft) wide which equals an area of 8,625 m (93,070 sq ft).

Regulation Facts

The Dodd-Frank Act and the Consumer Protection Act were born as a result of the 2008-2009 Financial Crisis
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is a regulatory body that oversees the United States Stock Market and was born as a result of The Great Depression from the 1930s
The SEC recovered $6.4B in civil penalties in its 2022 fiscal year.

Investor Facts

Warren Buffet is regarded as one of the most successful investors in history. His net worth is ~$112B and is cited as one of the top ten richest people in the world.
Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway is the most expensive share of a single company. It stock prices at $489,540 per share.

Stock Market Environmental, Social, & Governance (ESG) Facts

88% of public companies have ESG initiatives
~90% of investors consider ESG issues as part of their investment analysis

Hedge Fund Facts

There are over 3,800 hedge funds in the United States
The largest hedge fund in the United States is Bridgewater Associates, with $150B of Assets Under Management (AUM) as of November 2022.

Asset Management Firm Facts

Blackrock is the largest asset manager, with ~$10 trillion of AUM. This is followed by Vanguard with ~$8 trillion of AUM.

Certification Facts

There are more than 160,000 CFA charter holders worldwide in 164 markets
There are over 40,000 people every year who take the Series 7 exam, with only 2/3 passing.
There are 612,457 people who are registered with FINRA

Bank Facts

The largest bank in the world is Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Limited with ~$5.5 trillion measured by total assets on its balance sheet
The largest bank in the United States is JPMorgan Chase with ~$3.7 trillion assets on its balance sheet
The highest paid United States CEO of the United States bank is Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, who earned $35 million in 2022. Behind Mr. Dimon is Brian Moynihan, CEO of Bank of America, who earned $32 million in 2022, and James Gorman, CEO of Morgan Stanley, who earned $31 million in 2022.

Other Facts

Wall Street is home to the New York Stock Exchange, and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
The last remaining major investment bank headquarter on Wall Street is Deutsche Bank at 60 Wall Street.
The Wall Street Journal was founded by Charles H. Dow, of Dow Jones & Company, primarily to cover business and financial news. The first issue was published on July 8, 1889.
The U.S. Capital Markets is ~$56 trillion, which is 3x the US economy. Of these, $46 trillion is public capitalization, and $10 trillion is private funds.

I hope you have enjoyed this article. Want to learn more about how to invest and gain financial freedom? Check out some of my favorite blog posts below.

Live well,

Blue