In 2023, 97.5% of all net worth —totaling $139.4 trillion — was owned by the 50% of Americans with above-average net worth. The remaining 167 million Americans owned about 2.6% — or $3.6 trillion.
The richest Americans own the vast majority of the US stock market, according to Fed data. The top 10% of Americans held 93% of all stocks, the highest level ever recorded.
Cede technically owns most of the publicly issued stock in the United States. Thus, most investors do not themselves hold direct property rights in stock, but rather have contractual rights that are part of a chain of contractual rights involving Cede.
Based on this estimate, the richest 10 percent of U.S. households own roughly $42.7 trillion in stock market wealth, with the richest 1 percent owning $25 trillion. The bottom half of U.S. households own less than half a trillion dollars in stock market wealth.
Foreign investors own 20 percent of all U.S. securities outstanding (Figure 2). Across major asset types, the fraction is about 33 percent for U.S. Treasuries, 27 percent for corporate debt, and 17 percent for equities (Table 3). Foreign ownership of Treasuries reached $7.6 trillion in 2023.
Warren Buffett. Warren Edward Buffett (/ˈbʌfɪt/ BUF-it; born August 30, 1930) is an American investor and philanthropist who currently serves as the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. As a result of his investment success, Buffett is one of the best-known investors in the world.
Who are BlackRock's largest shareholders? BlackRock, which has offered shares to the public since its 1999 IPO, is mostly owned by institutional investors, including the Vanguard Group, State Street Corp. (STT 0.01%), Bank of America (BAC 0.28%), and Temasek Holdings, a Singapore state-owned conglomerate.
The top 1 percent own 43 percent of all global financial assets. Just two corporations control 40 percent of the global seed market. The “big three” US-based asset managers —BlackRock, State Street, and Vanguard— hold $20 trillion in assets, close to one-fifth of all investable assets in the world.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) oversees securities exchanges, securities brokers and dealers, investment advisors, and mutual funds in an effort to promote fair dealing, the disclosure of important market information, and to prevent fraud.
Unlike other hard assets like businesses or real estate, owning stocks doesn't require any maintenance or upkeep. Some stocks pay dividends. Some stocks have tradable options as well. Wealthy people are usually looking for ways to keep their money growing.
Currently, 62% of Americans own stocks, reaching a 20-year high. Breaking it down further, 87% of upper-income Americans own stocks, followed by 65% of middle-income Americans, and 25% of lower-income individuals.
1. George Soros. George Soros, often referred to as the «Man Who Broke the Bank of England», is an iconic figure in the world of forex trading.
1. George Soros. George Soros is a Hungarian-American businessman, author, and philanthropist. Soros also runs a hedge fund called the quantum fund which gave an average return of 30% from 1970 to 2000, making him one of the most successful investors of all time.
Warren Buffett is often considered the world's best investor of modern times. Buffett started investing at a young age, and was influenced by Benjamin Graham's value investing philosophy.
The first official stock exchange was the Amsterdam Stock Exchange, established in 1602 by the Dutch East India Company. It was the first company to issue stocks and bonds to the public.
Established in the 1990s, the fund invests Norway's oil and gas revenues globally. It's known as Norges Bank Investment Management NBIM and is the world's largest single stockholder. This context is vital for understanding its impact on global markets.
The total market capitalization of the U.S. stock market is currently $55,253,720.4 million (or $55.2 trillion), (July 1st, 2024).
In 2008, the NYSE acquired the American Stock Exchange, becoming the third largest U.S. options market. By 2013, ICE acquired the NYSE and remains the parent organization of the Exchange today. ICE listing on NYSE in 2005.
Key takeaways
Unfortunately, the average American family has only the equivalent of $59,000 set aside for retirement savings. Assuming the family contains two adults to account for — and not every family does — that's $29,500 per person to live on after almost a lifetime of saving.