115+ Stock Market Statistics for Beginner Investors in 2024

The stock market is a cornerstone of the free market economy that large-scale corporations and everyday investors alike can benefit from. While stock market facts are always changing, knowing the current state of the market and notable trends from years past can help you make more informed trading decisions overall. 

With a dizzying amount of information available, understanding facts about the stock market can feel daunting. Luckily, we’ve compiled a list of the most interesting stock market facts for 2024 and beyond.  

To round out your understanding of the stock market, here’s what you’ll find in this article: 

• Interesting stock market facts 
• Stock market statistics by demographic
• Stock exchange statistics
• Stock market performance statistics
• Stock market statistics by country
• Stock market statistics by industry and sector
• Stock market statistics by company
• Stock market statistics: robo-advisors 
• Mutual funds and ETFs statistics
• Retirement investment statistics 

Read along for the top stock market statistics of 2024.

Interesting stock market facts

Many investors were happy enough to see the first half of 2022 come to end after the S&P 500 declined by more than 20%, turning in the worst market performance in decades. 

This has left many investors feeling confused and pessimistic about the current state of the market—but if you’re a younger investor with a longer time horizon, there’s still reason for optimism. Market fluctuations are normal and will pivot over the course of 10, 20, and 30 years, giving your money plenty of time to grow despite the current state of the market. 

To that end, here are some more interesting stock market facts to be aware of:

1. Stock portfolios and retirement accounts took a beating in the first half of 2022, with the S&P 500 falling by 21%. (Bankrate)
2. On June 13, 2022, the stock market closed at more than 20% below January highs, putting the market into a bear market. (Bankrate)
3. The U.S. represents 40.9% of the $108 trillion world stock market capitalization. (SIFMA)
4. As of March 2022, the total market capitalization of the U.S. stock market is $48,264,353.4 million. (Siblis Research)
5. The stock market usually performs the worst in September—dubbed the “September Effect,” the S&P 500 has averaged a 1% decline in September from 1928 to 2021. (Investopedia)
6. The total market capitalization of domestic companies listed on global stock exchanges was $105 trillion in June 2022. (World Federation of Exchanges x Statista) 
7. In 2022, the total market capitalization of the Global Top 100 companies is $35.2 billion. (PwC)
8. The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is the largest stock exchange in the world, with a market capitalization valued at just over $25.8 trillion in June 2022. (World Federation of Exchanges x Statista) 

Stock market statistics by demographic

The percentage of Americans who report owning stock in 2023 has increased from 56% in 2021 to 61% in 2023, making it the highest percentage of ownership since 2008.

When it comes to stock ownership by age group, millennials own a marginal share—just 2.4%—of all U.S. stocks compared to older generations. Take baby boomers, for example, who own 55.7% of all U.S. stocks, or Gen X, whose share amounts to 26.8% of all stocks. While stock ownership among millennials has incrementally risen over the last five years, they’re still behind older generations when it comes to building long-term wealth. 

9. Millennials own just 2.4% of all U.S. stocks, equating to about $1 trillion in Q2 2023. (The Federal Reserve)
10. Gen X owned 26.8% of all U.S. stocks in Q2 2023. (The Federal Reserve)
11. Baby boomers owned 55.7% of all U.S. stocks in Q2 2023. (The Federal Reserve)
12. The Silent Generation owned 15% of all U.S. stocks in Q2 2023. (The Federal Reserve)
13. Of the total liquid assets owned across U.S. households in 2023, 45% were in stocks, 25.3% in bank deposits and CDs, and 16.5% in mutual funds. (SIFMA)
14. Over one-third of Americans don’t own investments or investment accounts in 2022. (eMoney) 
15. 45% of U.S. households owned equities in 2023. (Federal Reserve Board x SIFMA)  
16. As of April 2023, the percentage of Americans who own stocks jumped to 61%. (Gallup)
17. 38% of Americans use a financial advisor to manage their investments in 2022. (eMoney) 
18. 84% of adults with a household income of $100,000 or more owned stock in 2023. (Gallup)
19. 63% of adults with a household income between $40,000 and $99,000 owned stock in 2023. (Gallup)
20. Only 29% of adults with a household income of less than $40,000 owned stock in 2023. (Gallup)
21. The value of U.S. households’ liquid assets lowered to $58.6 trillion in 2023, decreasing 11% year over year. (Federal Reserve Board x SIFMA) 
22. 2023 saw 60% of women in the U.S. investing in the stock market. (Fidelity)
23. Of women in the U.S. who are investing, 71% are Gen Z (ages 11 – 26),  63% are millennials (ages 27–42), 55% are Gen X (ages 43–58) and 57% are boomers (ages 59–77). (Fidelity)
24. 20% of women reported investing in new asset classes for the first time in 2021. (Fidelity) 
25. Of women in the U.S. who invested in new asset classes for the first time in 2021, 67% invested in stocks or bonds, 63% invested in mutual funds or exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and 50% invested in money market funds or CDs. (Fidelity)
26. 41% of Americans ages 18–29 owned stock in April 2023. (Gallup)
27. 67% of Americans ages 30–49 owned stock in April 2023. (Gallup)
28. 66% of Americans ages 50–64 owned stock in April 2023. (Gallup)
29. 63% of Americans ages 65+ owned stock in April 2023. (Gallup)
30. Of Americans who owned stock in 2023, 67% were non-Hispanic white adults and 49% were people of color. (Gallup)
31. Participation in employer-sponsored retirement plans was lowest among employees age 25 or younger in 2022, with 62% of those employees contributing. (Vanguard)
32. 86% of employees ages 35–64 contributed to their retirement accounts in 2022. (Vanguard)
33. Women are more likely than men to join their employer’s retirement plan, regardless of income levels. (Vanguard)

The data above shows a clear gap in investments among millennials, whether it be stock ownership or contributing to their employer’s retirement plans. But if you’re in this age group, now is one of the best possible times to start investing—with a longer time horizon until retirement, there’s ample opportunity to let your money compound over time. 

Stock exchange statistics

To understand the size of the stock market, it’s helpful to analyze specific stock exchange statistics. 

There are 60 stock exchanges across the globe, the largest being the NYSE, whose stock market capitalization nears $25 million in July 2023. Market capitalization, or market cap, refers to the total value of a company’s shares of publicly traded stock.

34. Global stock market capitalization decreased 18% in 2022, totaling $101.2 trillion. (SIFMA) 
35. In 2023, the NYSE held around 20% of all equities traded in the market, accounting for the largest share of all stock exchange operators in the U.S. (Chicago Board Options Exchange x Statista)
36. Following the NYSE, the Nasdaq held the second largest share across all stock exchanges in 2023, accounting for 16%. (Chicago Board Options Exchange x Statista)
37. The combined market capitalization for the NYSE and the Nasdaq totaled close to $47 trillion in 2023. (World Federation of Exchanges x Statista)
38. In July 2023, the NYSE held a market capitalization of $25 trillion. (World Federation of Exchanges x Statista)
39. In July 2023, the Nasdaq held a market capitalization of $22 trillion. (World Federation of Exchanges x Statista)
40. Global equity issuance decreased 61% in 2022, totaling $400 billion. (SIFMA)
41. Global fixed-income markets (bond markets) decreased 3.2% in 2021, totaling $129.8 trillion. (SIFMA)
42. Global fixed-income issuance decreased 17.5% in 2022 to $22.5 trillion. (SIFMA)  
43. Following the NYSE, the Nasdaq had the second highest global market capitalization valued at $22 trillion in July 2023. (World Federation of Exchanges x Statista) 
44. Between February 12 and March 11, 2020, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) index dropped close to 8,000 points, but recovered to 33,832.42 points as of October 2023. (Yahoo! Finance)
45. Despite the economic downturn seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, the S&P 500 index was valued at 4,766.18 points at the end of 2021—the highest value on record. (Yahoo! Finance)
46. The Nasdaq Composite Index decreased 33% in 2022, ending the year with 10,466.48 points. (SIFMA)
47. The average daily trading volume of Nasdaq-listed stocks was 4,966 shares in 2022, totaling $239 billion in value. (SIFMA)
48. The average daily trading volume of NYSE-listed stocks was 4,603 shares in 2022, totaling $193.7 billion in value. (SIFMA)

Stock market performance statistics 

The second half of 2021 saw soaring gas prices, the continued disruption of supply chains, and increasing inflation pressures. However, a look at the most recent stock trading statistics tells us that the value of publicly traded companies is growing—a notable trend considering business growth and value is a key indicator of stock market performance. 

49. Global equity trading was valued at $41.8 trillion in Q3 2021. (World Federation of Exchanges)
50. The total market capitalization of the Global Top 100 companies hit a record-breaking $35.2 trillion in March 2022. (PwC)
51. In 2023, the total market capitalization of the Global Top 100 companies decreased by 11.1% compared to 2022. (PwC)
52. Globally, the top asset by market capitalization is gold, valued at $13.162 trillion. (Companies Market Cap)
53. The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of the Global Top 100 companies has increased 11.7% in 2023. (PwC)
54. In 2022, initial public offering (IPO) volume was $8.5 billion, an 94% decrease from the year prior. (SIFMA) 
55. The dollar volume of average daily trading of municipal bonds in the U.S. totaled $13,135.4 million in 2022, a 21% increase from the year prior. (SIFMA) 
56. There were  50,593 U.S. municipal bonds traded daily on average in 2022, increasing 66% from the previous year. (SIFMA) 
57. The dollar volume of average daily trading in U.S. equity markets totaled $573.1 billion in 2022. (SIFMA) 
58. The average daily trading volume for equities was 11.9 billion shares in 2022, a 4.1% increase year over year. (SIFMA) 
59. Charles Schwab had $7.38 trillion in client assets at the end of March 2023 (Charles Schwab Corporation)
60. Fidelity had $4.5 trillion in client assets at the end of June 2023. (Fidelity)

Even amid the current volatility of the economy, the data above paints an optimistic picture of what to expect for the long term. And if you’re a younger investor with decades left before you retire, this is good news indeed. 

Stock market statistics by country

In analyzing stock market facts by country, the biggest takeaway to note is that the U.S. continues to dominate in terms of total value and growth rates. The U.S. stock markets are the largest across the globe and continue to represent the lion’s share in terms of global market capitalization. 

61. With a total global market capitalization share of 70% as of March 2023, the U.S. continues to dominate the majority share of global market capitalization. (PwC)
62. The market capitalization of U.S. companies in the Global Top 100 decreased 12% from March 2022 to March 2023. (PwC) 
63. By contrast, the value of the Top 100 companies from China and its regions decreased by 11%. (PwC)
64. While China’s market capitalization decreased in 2023, its CAGR has still steadily grown by 11.5% in the last 10 years. (PwC)
65. The top publicly traded companies in the U.S. by revenue equal a total revenue of $21.2 trillion. (Companies Market Cap)
66. The total market capitalization of the 311 largest Chinese companies is $5.9 trillion. (Companies Market Cap)
67. The top publicly traded companies in China by revenue equal a total revenue of $5.5 trillion. (Companies Market Cap)
68. The total market capitalization of the 349 largest Japanese companies is $4.084 trillion. (Companies Market Cap)

The impressive market capitalization of the U.S. is a golden opportunity for investors, creating ample exposure to some of the world’s most valuable companies—and the chance to invest in them.  

Stock  market statistics by industry and sector

In terms of market capitalization, the technology sector has led the pack for the last five years, increasing by $7.08 trillion since 2018. For more context, the technology sector accounted for 21% of the Global Top 100 companies with a market capitalization of $3.6 trillion—in 2022, it accounts for 34%.  

Technology isn’t the only sector showing increasing dominance, however. The same can be said for the health care sector, whose market capitalization has significantly increased since 2018. 

69. Technology companies accounted for 34% of the Global Top 100 in 2022, with a combined market capitalization of $12 trillion. (PwC)
70. Health care companies in the Global Top 100 have increased 84% since 2018. (PwC)
71. Of all sectors, the energy sector has seen the largest increase in market capitalization, increasing 57% since August 2021. Its value as of August 2022 is $3.54 trillion. (Fidelity)
72. The energy sector has also steadily grown since 2018, increasing by 151%. (PwC) 
73. The information technology sector holds the highest market capitalization across sectors, totaling $13 trillion in August 2022. (Fidelity)
74.  The basic materials, consumer discretionary, consumer staples, industrials, telecommunications, and utilities sectors account for 33% of total market capitalization. (PwC)
75. The top three leading U.S. industries in revenue in 2022 are drug, cosmetic and toiletry wholesaling, pharmaceuticals wholesaling, and new car dealers, whose combined revenue totals roughly $3.3 billion. (IBISWorld)
76. For 2022, the drug, cosmetic and toiletry wholesaling industry totaled $1.2 billion in revenue. (IBISWorld)
77. The new car dealers industry totaled $1.1 billion in revenue in 2022. (IBISWorld) 
78. The pharmaceuticals wholesaling industry totaled $1.1 billion in revenue in 2022. (IBISWorld) 
79. The health and medical insurance industry totaled $1 billion in revenue in 2022. (IBISWorld) 

Knowing how different sectors are performing on the market is a critical part of any investing strategy, and young investors would be wise to stay abreast of these trends to inform their investment decisions. 

Stock market statistics by company

Given the explosive growth of the technology sector, the same long-term growth trend can be seen in the world’s largest technology companies in 2022. 

While Apple has long held the position of the most valuable company across the globe, Saudi Aramco surpassed Apple—albeit marginally—in May 2022, reaching a market capitalization of $2.4 trillion before Apple reclaimed the spot in August. 

80.  The largest five U.S. companies by market capitalization are Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet (Google), Amazon, and Tesla, totaling roughly $961 trillion. (Companies Market Cap)
81. In 2022, Alphabet saw a market capitalization increase of 32%, surpassing Amazon for the first time since 2018. (PwC) 
82.  Apple is the world’s most valuable company, with a market capitalization of $2.58 trillion as of August 2022. (Companies Market Cap)
83. The company with the second highest market capitalization is Microsoft, valued at $2 trillion in August 2022. (Companies Market Cap). 
84.  In March 2022, both Apple and Microsoft’s market capitalization surpassed Saudi Aramco’s. (PwC) 
85. The top five publicly traded U.S. companies by revenue are Walmart, Amazon, Apple, Berkshire Hathaway, and ExxonMobil. (Companies Market Cap)
86. Walmart, the top publicly traded U.S. company by revenue, has a total revenue of $576 billion. (Companies Market Cap)
87. Of the Global Top 100 companies, Shell saw the highest rise in market capitalization, increasing 161% from 2021 to 2022. (PwC)

Understanding which companies have consistently performed well—regardless of the state of the market—is key to any successful investment strategy. While past performance is no guarantee of future results, companies that have consistently held the highest market share are a good place to start when choosing what companies to invest in. 

Stock market statistics: robo-advisors

The large-scale interest and growth of robo-advisors is tied to both the growing digitization of the financial services industry and the sustained underperformance of ETFs and falling commodity prices over the last decade. 

An ETF is a basket of securities you invest in—typically a mix of stocks and bonds—versus a single security like a stock or bond, and are bought and sold based on market share prices.

For both large investment funds and everyday individuals alike, the efficiency of automated portfolio management via robo-advisory technology has become preferable to traditional alternatives. 

88. The robo-advisor industry grew by 6% in 2021. (IBISWorld)
89.  The U.S. has the most assets under robo-advisor management by country, totaling $1.16 billion in 2022. (Statista)
90. As of 2022, there are $1.66 million of assets under robo-advisor management globally. (Statista)  
91. There are 12.6 million people in the U.S. using a robo-advisor in 2022. (Statista)  
92. Total assets under robo-advisor management increased by 16.1% globally in 2022. (Statista)  
93. Assets under management of robo-advisors are expected to reach a total of $3.22 trillion globally by 2027. (Statista) 
94. The annual growth rate of assets under robo-advisor management is projected to increase by 15% globally by 2027. (Statista) 
95. The number of people utilizing robo-advisors is expected to reach 543.2 million globally by 2027. (Statista) 
96. On average, individuals have $92,220 in assets managed by a robo-advisor in the U.S. in 2022. (Statista)
97.  Of all people using robo-advisors in the U.S., 25–34-year-olds make up the majority, accounting for 35.7%. (Statista) 
98.  Following behind 25–34-year-olds, 35–44-year-olds are the second largest age group utilizing robo-advisors at 30.6%. (Statista) 

Clearly, the growth of robo-advisors is only increasing—and if you’re a new investor, you have much to gain from utilizing them. Coming into the investment world for the first time can be overwhelming if you’ve never invested before, but robo-advisors can help fill those knowledge gaps and allow you to outsource your investing management to a professional for a low cost. 

Mutual funds and ETFs statistics

Like ETFs, a mutual fund is also a basket of securities that are bought and sold based on dollars instead of market share prices. 

The most recent data indicates that ETF ownership is strong so far for 2022. However, the same can’t be said in comparison to 2021, when U.S.-listed ETFs hit all-time records. 

This year’s lower demand for equity (stock) ETFs compared to 2021 might be attributed to rising interest rates, COVID-19 complications, and sustained global supply chain issues. 

99. In 2022, there are 2,952 ETFs listed in the U.S. (NYSE)
100. The average daily value of U.S. ETF transactions totaled $202.53 billion in June 2022. (NYSE)
101. The average daily volume of shares traded in the U.S. was 2.78 billion in June 2022. (NYSE)
102. Of U.S. adults with investments in 2022, 41% own mutual funds. (eMoney)
103. Long-term mutual funds and ETFs totaled a record $88 billion in December 2021. (Morningstar)
104. Americans invested $3 in ETFs for every $1 invested in mutual funds in 2021.  (ETF x BBH) 
105. By the end of 2021, ETFs reached $10 trillion in assets under management. (Morningstar x BBH)
106. 206 new ETFs launched in early July 2022, on track to align with 2021’s record of 450 launches. (Fidelity)
107.  Of the 206 new launches, 125 were actively managed ETFs. (Fidelity)
108. In early 2021, 16 mutual funds with over $40 billion in assets were converted to ETFs. (Fidelity)
109.  So far in 2022, eight mutual funds totaling $17 billion in assets have converted to ETFs. (Fidelity) 
110.  In 2022, 78% of investors report planning to expand more investments into active ETFs—up from 65% in 2021. (BBH)

If you’re deciding between an ETF versus a mutual fund, new investors can benefit from ETFs given their passive nature—meaning less effort is required to manage them. They also tend to be more cost effective than a mutual fund, making them ideal for younger investors who might not have as much capital to invest right away. 

Retirement investment statistics

Savings in retirement plan participants in the U.S. broke new records in 2021—growth that appears to be on track to continue into 2023. 

Part of the catalyst is the growing use of automatic solutions by retirement plan sponsors, which removes the friction of employees contributing to their retirement savings. 

Overall, defined contribution (DC) retirement plans dominate the private sector retirement system in the U.S., covering almost half of all private sector workers. 

111.  
112.  The total value of retirement assets in the U.S. reached $41.8 trillion in 2022, decreasing by 8.7% year over year. (SIFMA)
113.  The total value of U.S. individual retirement accounts (IRAs) reached $13.9 million in 2021, increasing 12.8% year over year. (SIFMA)
114.  Of all U.S retirement assets in 2021, 27.5% were IRAs, and 28.4% were in private pensions. (SIFMA) 
115.  Employer-sponsored retirement accounts are the second most popular type of investment account among Americans in 2022. (eMoney)
116. Retirement plans offering automatic enrollment have more than tripled since 2007. (Vanguard)
117.  76% of participants in Vanguard retirement plans were in plans with an automatic enrollment option in 2022. (Vanguard) 
118. Over 100 million Americans are covered by DC retirement accounts, amounting to $9 trillion in assets. (Vanguard) 
119.  For eligible employees with an annual income of less than $15,000, just 47% contributed to their employer’s DC retirement plan in 2022. (Vanguard) 
120.  By contrast, 95% of eligible employees with an income over $150,000 contributed to their employer’s DC retirement plan in 2022. (Vanguard) 
121. Retirement plan participation varies by industry—90% of employees in the finance, insurance, and real estate industries participated in their employer’s plan in 2022.  

If there’s one thing we can learn from stock market statistics, it’s that the market simply can’t be predicted. High inflation, soaring gas prices exacerbated by war tensions, and rising interest rates all contribute to the continued fall of riskier assets in Q2 2022, and investors are still trying to gauge how much longer the current bear market might last—and how much lower prices might fall. 

The good news is that consumer inflation rates are expected to level out over the next 12 months, and some of the most extreme supply chain issues are slowly easing up. Expected growth for stock earnings in the S&P 500 stands at 11% so far for 2022, higher than the average earnings growth rate of 2% in late-cycle periods seen since 1950. 

All that to say, none of these things can be answered definitively. And while stock market facts can lend a hand in forming predictions, only time will tell the true performance of the stock market for the remainder of 2024 and beyond. Our advice? Always ignore the short-term noise and think like a long-term investor. 

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