Stock facts & stats

Question 1

After the 2008 financial crisis, how low did Gallup's measure of U.S. stock ownership fall?

Accepted Answer

52% (in 2013 and 2016). Stock ownership was far higher among upper-income Americans (87%) than lower-income ones (28%) in 2025.

Question 2

Between 2019 and 2022, what happened to the median value of directly held stock among U.S. families that owned it?

Accepted Answer

fell from $29,000 to $15,000. Over the same period, the share of families owning stocks directly rose from 15% to 21%.

Question 3

In what year was the Buttonwood Agreement, the origin of the New York Stock Exchange, signed?

Accepted Answer

May 17, 1792. The brokers later adopted a constitution in 1817, creating the New York Stock & Exchange Board.

Question 4

How many stockbrokers signed the Buttonwood Agreement in 1792?

Accepted Answer

24 stockbrokers. They agreed on trading rules and commissions during the young nation's first financial panic.

Question 5

What was the total value of the world's stock markets at the end of 2025?

Accepted Answer

$157.8 trillion. Global equity market capitalization rose 18.9% during 2025.

Question 6

What was the average daily trading volume of U.S. equities in 2025?

Accepted Answer

a record 17.6 billion shares. Volume jumped 44.6% from the year before.

The basics