Ten Years Ago Today..

Ten years ago today..

Ten years ago today, the DJIA (Dow Jones Industrial Average) was sitting at 11,497.12. Today, the DJIA is sitting at 10,428.05.

Ten years ago today, the NASDAQ was sitting at 4,069.31. Today, the NASDAQ is sitting at 2,269.15.

Ten years ago today, the S&P 500 was sitting at 1,469.25. Today, the S&P 500 is sitting at 1,115.10.

Ten years ago today, the "dot-com boom" was in full bloom. Today, many of the companies that were worth billions of dollars in 2000 no longer exist.

Ten years ago today, the United States was nearly ten years removed from its most recent recession (the recession of the early 90s). Today, the United States is still trying to recover from a nearly two-year long "Great Recession".

Ten years ago today, the United States had a total public outstanding debt load of $5,776,091,314,225.33. Today, this figure is $12,144,893,016,570.46.

Ten years ago today, Google was a start-up company that nobody had heard of. Today, Google is a $200 billion dollar monster that is arguably the most influential company in the world.

Ten years ago today, Berkshire Hathaway was trading at $56,100.00. Today, Berkshire Hathaway is trading at $99,200.00.

Ten years ago today, Bill Gates was the richest person in the world with a total net worth of approximately $90 billion dollars. Today, Bill Gates is still the richest man in the world with a total net worth of approximately $40 billion dollars.

Ten years ago today, gold was trading for less than $300 per ounce. Today, gold is trading for $1,095.20.

Ten years ago today, oil was trading for approximately $25 per barrel. Today, oil is trading for around $80 per barrel.

Ten years ago today, Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch still existed.

Ten years ago today, most Americans felt that putting money in the stock market was a better investment than buying real estate. Today, most Americans probably feel the same way, thanks to the implosion of the real estate market.

Ten years ago today, Japan had the world's second largest economy. Today, that distinction belongs to China (according to recent reports).

Ten years ago today, China had a GDP of approximately $1.15 trillion dollars. Today, this figure is closer to $5 trillion.

Ten years ago today, 1 US dollar would buy you approximately $1.05 Euros. Today, 1 US dollar will buy you $0.70 Euros.

Ten years ago today, the national unemployment rate in the United States was exactly 4%. Today, the national unemployment rate in the United States is exactly 10%.

Ten years ago today, the United States had just finished a year in which it would post a total surplus of $125.6 billion dollars. Today, the United States has just finished a year in which they posted a total deficit of over a trillion dollars.

Ten years ago today, median household income in the United States was $52,587 (inflation adjusted). Today, median household income is likely to be around $48,500 for the year.

Ten years ago today, California posted an unemployment rate of 5.1%. Today, California has an unemployment rate of 12.3%.

Ten years ago today, a total of 8 banks had failed in the United States over the previous 12 months. Today, 140 banks have failed in the United States over the previous 12 months.

Filed under: General Market News