With all of its ups and downs, the stock market could easily be compared to a runaway roller coaster, and this isn’t anything new. Wall Street has been this way for years, and the financial mood swings date back to 1899, when the stock market experienced a single day loss of nearly 12%. That was a dark day for investors, but paled in comparison to what lay ahead.
There are other very memorable dates in the history of Wall Street, like the month that the markets took a 30 day dive back in September of 1906. Another infamous day of the markets happened on what is now dubbed “Black Monday”, October 28, 1929. The markets seen their worst decline in history on this day.
Of course, not all of Wall Street’s history is bleak. There have been plenty of times for celebration and prosperity, like March 15,1933, when the markets were up nearly 15.5%. And what Wall Street fan could forget Spring of 1997, when the dot com boom hit the markets? It was crazy, exciting, and life-changing for everyone who took advantage of the investment opportunities.
Remember the financial meltdown of 2008 with the big banks? It sent the markets swinging back and forth in a frenzied pendulum style, for what seemed like forever. But this is the norm on Wall Street, and a risk that investors are more than willing to take. One day you’re rolling in dough, and the next day you could be applying for federal financial assistance. That’s just the nature of the beast, and with more people investing, and more companies going public, this crazy, wild ride will continue until it either fully collapses, or investors are presented with safer, more lucrative ways to grow their money.
Take a look at this infographic to see the ups and downs of the stock market over the years.
Source: Infographic World