Talking about shares and investing can get boring sometimes. So we have compiled a list of the most amazing facts about the stock market and it’s history.
One. During Gil Amelio’s tenure as Apple CEO, Apple’s stock slumped and hit a 12-year low in 1997 that was at least partially caused by a single sale of 1.5 million shares of Apple stock by an anonymous party, who was later confirmed to be Steve Jobs. Jobs convinced the directors to oust Amelio in a boardroom coup and Jobs then became CEO.
Two. In 2005, an inexperienced trader at a Japanese bank tried to sell 1 share of J-Com stock for ¥640,000. He accidentally sold 640,000 shares for ¥1 each; the equivalent of selling $3 billion worth of shares for the price of $5,000.
Three. The stock market got the names “bear and bull” because of caballeros (Spanish knights) in California. The caballeros put California grizzlies in battle with bulls. They observed bears swiped downward and bulls hooked upward, thus lending the analogy. This led to the California grizzly’s extinction.
Four. Ronald Wayne was the third cofounder of Apple, along with Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs. In 1976, he sold his 10% share of the company for $800. Today, his 10% would have been worth of $35 billion.
Five. The Dutch East India Company was the first multinational corporation in existence, created in 1602. It is the first company to issue stocks and is the granddaddy of all corporations today. Shareholders didn’t have much influence – the company was controlled by its directors. However, shareholders were richly rewarded. The annual dividends were 16% on average over the first half of the 17th century.