Essay on The History of the Stock Market

During the 2nd half of the 19th century New York City became the central financial center of the United States. After that the New York Stock Exchange became the number one trading center. The reason for this being that its members focused on buying securities of larger corporations. At that time all the smaller stocks of smaller companies were handled on the streets of downtown New York City. In 1908 these brokers formed the New York Curb Agency which is now known as the American Stock Exchange. It was renamed to this in 1953.

The stock market has always intrigued me and I have since been eager to learn more about it. Starting back in January of this year, I ordered three textbooks on stock trading to become more informed on the subject. After reading these books, I gained further insight on stock trading which led me to open my own brokerage account where I could buy and sell stocks. I started by playing a stock simulation which was very similar in concept to StockTrak, a program we used in this class. I found that this helped provide me with a hands on experience which helped familiarize me with stock trading and learning how to manage and use my money efficiently. I continued to play this simulation for about two months and during this time my portfolio grew about 4%, which provided me a confidence boost and motivated me to invest in my real money into the stock market. In March of 2015, I officially began trading in the stock market and I continued to learn along the way. As of now, I have roughly nine months of stock trading experience. As stated previously, I have always had in interest in the stock market, but I never acted upon it until as recently as earlier this year. My interest in the stock market was peaked because I enjoy taking risks and the stock market

The 1920’s was known as the time for the stockholder stock prices, since they soared through the roof and reached new levels and created Millionaires overnight. This time period was marked as a large growth with the stock values being high, in 1925 the value of the New York Stock Exchange was approximately $27 billion dollars, and that figure skyrocketed to about $87 billion in just four years. This meant that each average stockholder had tripled their value of stock they were

Some Robber Barons manipulated the stock

An investor would contribute a small percentage of the amount of money they would need to buy a stock. A stockbroker or a bank would loan a balance on almost no guarantee they would get their money as needed. This posed a problem. Later, when companies needed it the most, the companies realize that people were still not paying off loans as quickly as needed. The banks and stock brokers started to lose large sums of money. They were desperately needing more and more money from people who didn’t have what they needed to begin with. The dismal cycle lead to the stock market crash of 1929.

Stock sales provided companies with the money needed to expand their businesses, and in return, the stocks served as investments for the people who bought them by increasing in value as a company became successful. Many americans and some economists believed that the stock market had become a ure bet. Almost everyone saw the stock market as a sure way to become rich. Some thought that the stock market was such a great investment that they borrowed money from their stockbrokers to buy more stock. Stockbrokers are people who sell and buy stocks and shares in companies on behalf of other people.

During the 1920s many people invested their money into the stock market, a place where shares of public companies are traded through exchanges or over the counter markets. Their investments in stock brought them much wealth. Feeling confident, the investors took out loans from the banks to invest more money. On October 29, 1929 stock prices fell to an extreme. Causing the value of the stocks to tumble. Investors began to sell their stocks. As the prices kept falling the investors panicked, this lead to even more selling. Banks kept asking for

<br>Stock prices had been rising steadily since 1921, but in 1928 and 1929 they surged forward, with the average price of stocks rising over 40 percent. The stock market was totally unregulated. Margin buying in particular proceeded at a feverish pace as customers borrowed up to 75 percent of the purchase price of stocks. That easy credit lured more speculators and less creditworthy investors

The “Stock Market” is a term that actually describes several markets such as the New York Stock Exchange NASDAQ, where the stocks of companies are traded. Shares in a company are sold and the shareholders then become part owners of the company. Offering shares of stock raises money for continued research and development of company products or services.

Everyone invested in the stock market began to sell their stocks to prevent going bankrupt. On October 29, 1929 every investors worst nightmare became a reality, the stock

“By 1929, 2 out of every 5 dollars a bank loaned [to people] were used to purchase stocks.”( Suddath) The days that transpired are infamous and will live on through the history of America.

On May 17, 1792 24 stock brokers signed the Buttonwood Agreement on Wall Street in New York City under a Buttonwood tree. The agreement formed a centralized exchange that eliminated the need for auctioneers. It also set up rules for the trading of public bonds that were used to pay for the American Revolution. In 1817, a formal organization was setup and named the New York Stock Exchange & Board. In 1863 it was renamed the New York Stock Exchange and in 1903 it moved to its present headquarters at 18 Broad Street.

Over the past semester in Economics I have invested in and monitored the stock market. I learned how investing in certain companies can be risky and proper research about the companies are detrimental before buying stocks. Three stocks that have influenced most of my financial earnings and losses include Twitter, Amazon, and Pepsi.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The New York Stock Exchange traces its origin back 200 years. Centuries of growth and innovation the NYSE remains the world’s foremost securities marketplace. Over the years its commitment to investors has been unwavering and its persistent application of the latest technology has allowed it to maintain a level of market quality and service that is unparalleled. The NYSE has grown to become the global marketplace of today.

It was 1929, and in the United States things could not be better for those smart enough, or for that matter, brave enough, to gamble on the Stock Market. All of the big stocks were paying off handsomely, the little ones too. However, as much as analysis tried to tell the people that this period of great wealth would last, no one could imagine what would come of the United States economy in the next decade. The reasons for this catastrophic event in American 20th century history are numerous, and in his book, The Great Crash, John Kenneth Galbraith covers the period and events which lead up to the downward spiral in the fall of 1929 and the people behind the scenes on Wall Street who helped this fire spread.