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Stocks Finish Worst Decade Ever

Yes, even worse than the 1930s

By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff

Posted Dec 21, 2009 7:14 AM CST
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(Newser) – Unless something really drastic happens in the next few days, the 2000s will be the worst decade in recorded stock market history—and that’s going back to 1820, folks. You would have been better off putting your money under your mattress than investing in stocks in 1999; since then, the market’s fallen an average 0.5% a year, according to the Wall Street Journal, worse even than 1930s' average annual decline of 0.2%.

“The last 10 years have been a nightmare, really poor,” says one economist. The stats are due in part to the twin bear markets that kicked off and ended the decade, but also to the fact that after the 1990s, the market’s most profitable decade ever, stocks were way overpriced. It’s also in part a calendar quirk; there have been worse 10-year periods, like those ending in 1937 or 1938, but not calendar decades.

This Sept. 15, 2008 file photo shows a Lehman Brothers specialist working her post on the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange.
This Sept. 15, 2008 file photo shows a Lehman Brothers specialist working her post on the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange.   (AP Photo/David Karp, File)
In this Sept. 15, 2008 file photo, stock broker Andrew O'Connor takes a break from his floor position at the New York Stock Exchange.
In this Sept. 15, 2008 file photo, stock broker Andrew O'Connor takes a break from his floor position at the New York Stock Exchange.   (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 13 comments
Spudsy
Dec 22, 2009 12:10 PM CST
Righties love to point out the rantings of Barney Frank in the early part of the decade. They hate it when you point out that he could have easily been voted down by the GOP majority.
SBS
Dec 22, 2009 3:11 AM CST
Derni, Well put.
CenterIndependent
Dec 21, 2009 5:33 AM CST
tomidachi, DLY doesnt really have a soul like most false christians.

 
stock market • Great Depression • tech bubble • financial crisis • decade

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