Key Points
- The wealth of the top 1% hit a record $44.6 trillion at the end of the fourth quarter.
- All of the gains came from stock holdings thanks to an end-of-year rally.
- Economists say the rising stock market is giving an added boost to consumer spending through what is known as the “wealth effect.”
The wealth of the top 1% hit a record $44.6 trillion at the end of the fourth quarter, as an end-of-year stock rally lifted their portfolios, according to new data from the Federal Reserve.
The total net worth of the top 1%, defined by the Fed as those with wealth over $11 million, increased by $2 trillion in the fourth quarter. All of the gains came from their stock holdings. The value of corporate equities and mutual fund shares held by the top 1% surged to $19.7 trillion from $17.65 trillion the previous quarter.
While their real estate values went up slightly, the value of their privately held businesses declined, essentially canceling out all other gains outside of stocks.
Ok hear me out. I just want to do quick maths. The world population is according to worldometer just over 8,1 billion people. So 81 million people make up the top 1%. So this article says they have now 44,6 trillion dollars. So $44600000000000/81000000 is equal to $550617.28 per person in the one percent. So that means if you have more than $550 000 in wealth, you are a one percenter.
I am curious if the wealth of the top % as a value has grown or outpaced the rate of inflation and population growth added together.
The article is talking about the US. (Because of course it is).
So, it’s only 3.3 million people, so it’s $13.5 million each on average.
No, that’s not how distributions work.
If Elon Musk walks into a bar, it’s a Nazi bar now. Also, if he walks into a bar with 99 other people in it, the average wealth of everyone in the bar is $2 billion. But, that doesn’t mean that the typical person in that group has over $2b in wealth.
The top 1% contains Elon Musk plus about 3.3 million other people, but he skews the distribution considerably. That means the bottom of the distribution of the top 1% is around $6m, and it also includes people like Musk and Bezos who bring the average up to $13.5m per person.
Nit: The population of the US is 340 million, not 3.3 million, but your point stands
They are taking 1% of 330 Million. TIL its now 340.
3.3 million is the number of people in the 1%
3.3 is 1% of 330
You’ll be in the top 1% on much less than that. It’s still heavily skewed towards the 0.0001%.
Great math!
Global 1% and USA 1% are vastly different things. I wish which one was called out in headline. Based on first chart, this is USA 1%. Makes result of dividing by world population even more wild.
Ok so I am looking at America specifically, they have since the 1928 till now had an inflation rate of about 3,3%. Now the Fortune 400 companies had a growth of 9,9% during that same period. So if a kids parents invests in their name $1350 a month for 18 years, assuming semiannually compound, that would make the kid top 1% globally.
According to Washington Post, that places the kid at top 38.5% in USA
I assume that includes house valuations and retirement savings and stuff which would include a bunch of upper middle class people over 40
Well it seems I made wrong assumptions in my initial calculations. But they are using wealth, so yes house valuations and retirements plus investment. But here is the caveat, you have to minus dept. So if you have houses and cars worth let’s make this figure up, $15mil, maybe $1mil in retirement, savings, investment and loose cash you might be worth $16mil to the common people. But if you have let’s say $20mil in dept, then according to wealth valuations a homeless person has more wealth than you. Remember wealth estimates like this does not include income and earning potential