Did brokers really throw themselves out of office windows in the Wall Street crash? | Notes and Queries (2024)

Did brokers really throw themselves out of office windows in the Wall Street crash? | Notes and Queries (1)
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YESTERYEAR

Did brokers really throw themselves out of office windows in the Wall Street crash?

  • J. K. GALBRAITH, in his classic study of the 1929 Wall Street crash, wrote: 'In the United States, the suicide wave that followed the stock market crash is also part of the legend of 1929. In fact, there were none. For several years before 1929, the suicide rate had been gradually rising. It continued to increase in that year, with a further and much sharper increase in 1930, 1931, and 1932 ... The statistics for New Yorkers, who might be assumed to have had a special propensity for self-destruction derived from their special propinquity to the market, show only a slight deviation from those of the country as a whole.' Indeed, the suicide rate in the US was higher in the summer months before the crash when the stock market was prospering. One cause of the myth is that there were some suicides related to the crash, including jumping from windows. For example, two men jumped out of a window in the Ritz. Allegedly, clerks in downtown hotels started asking guests whether they wanted a room for sleeping or jumping. However, few people jumped from windows: jumping from a bridge, dousing oneself in gasoline and lighting, gassing and shooting were all used. The press, though, did not let reality stop them from running lurid stories about huge numbers of suicides.

    Mark Pack, York.

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Did brokers really throw themselves out of office windows in the Wall Street crash? |  Notes and Queries (2024)

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Did brokers really throw themselves out of office windows in the Wall Street crash? | Notes and Queries? ›

On what became known as “Black Thursday

Black Thursday
The Great Crash is mostly associated with October 24, 1929, called Black Thursday, the day of the largest sell-off of shares in U.S. history, and October 29, 1929, called Black Tuesday, when investors traded some 16 million shares on the New York Stock Exchange in a single day.
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Wall_Street_Crash_of_1929
,” false reports crackled around Wall Street that distraught bankers and investors were leaping out of high-rise windows and plummeting as quickly as the stock market itself.

Did stockbrokers really jump out of windows? ›

Did brokers really throw themselves out of office windows in the Wall Street crash? J. K. GALBRAITH, in his classic study of the 1929 Wall Street crash, wrote: 'In the United States, the suicide wave that followed the stock market crash is also part of the legend of 1929. In fact, there were none.

What actually happened in the Wall Street crash? ›

On October 29, 1929, "Black Tuesday" hit Wall Street as investors traded some 16 million shares on the New York Stock Exchange in a single day. Around $14 billion of stock value was lost, wiping out thousands of investors. The panic selling reached its peak with some stocks having no buyers at any price.

How did speculators cause the Wall Street crash? ›

What caused the Wall Street crash of 1929? The main cause of the Wall Street crash of 1929 was the long period of speculation that preceded it, during which millions of people invested their savings or borrowed money to buy stocks, pushing prices to unsustainable levels.

Did anyone get rich from the stock market crash of 1929? ›

Several individuals who bet against or “shorted” the market became rich or richer. Percy Rockefeller, William Danforth, and Joseph P. Kennedy made millions shorting stocks at this time. They saw opportunity in what most saw as misfortune.

What happens to my stocks if broker shuts down? ›

Typically, when a brokerage firm fails, the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) arranges the transfer of the failed brokerage's accounts to a different securities brokerage firm.

Is stockbroker a dying industry? ›

This field is becoming smaller and more specialized every year. Most people licensed as Stock Brokers now practice as Registered Investment Advisors. That is, their compensation is derived from Advisory Fees. They are flourishing.

Who was to blame for the Wall Street crash? ›

The 1929 crash was caused by many factors, such as a boom after World War I, overproduction in key industries, increased use of margin for purchasing stocks, lack of global buyers around the world due to the war, and so on.

Did anyone benefit from the Wall Street crash? ›

While most investors watched their fortunes evaporate during the 1929 stock market crash, Kennedy emerged from it wealthier than ever. Believing Wall Street to be overvalued, he sold most of his stock holdings before the crash and made even more money by selling short, betting on stock prices to fall.

Will US market crash in 2024? ›

With the first quarter of 2024 in the books, uncertainty abounds in the stock market. April 1, 2024, at 4:36 p.m. Downbeat consumer sentiment could weigh heavily on stocks, given that consumer spending accounts for about 70% of GDP.

Where is the safest place for money in a depression? ›

Best Assets To Own During A Depression
  • Gold And Cash. Gold and cash are two of the most important assets to have on hand during a market crash or depression. ...
  • Real Estate. ...
  • Domestic Bonds, Treasury Bills, & Notes. ...
  • Foreign Bonds. ...
  • In The Bank. ...
  • In Bank Safe Deposit Boxes. ...
  • In The Stock Market. ...
  • In A Private Vault.
Mar 26, 2020

Who got rich during the Great Depression? ›

But some investors built their wealth during this era. Jesse Lauriston Livermore was one of those people. He wasn't afraid to short stocks and leaned on technical analysis for his investing decisions. Jesse's returns from the Great Depression earned him the nickname The Great Bear Of Wall Street.

Do you lose all your money if the stock market crashes? ›

If the price of your stocks drops while you are holding it, you have not lost any money at all. Values fluctuate, but you are holding stocks, not money. It only becomes money again when you sell it. If you sell your stocks for less than you paid for them, only then have you lost money.

Who makes money when the stock market crashes? ›

No one, including the company that issued the stock, pockets the money from your declining stock price. The money reflected by changes in stock prices isn't tallied and given to some investor. The changes in price are simply an independent by-product of supply and demand and corresponding investor transactions.

Which automaker made a profit in every year of the Great Depression? ›

GM delivered a profit in every year of the Great Depression, and Chrysler incurred a loss in only one year. Prior to the Great Depression, the automobile market had been split three ways. GM and Ford Motor Company each enjoyed a one-third market share.

Who got rich from 2008 recession? ›

When the market rebounded, Getty was a rich man, thanks to his action when the economy appeared to be at its worst. The same thing happened to people like Warren Buffett, Jamie Dimon, and Carl Icahn during the Great Recession of 2008. Each zigged when the rest of the world zagged.

Did the NYSE glitch lead to busted trades? ›

NEW YORK, Jan 24 (Reuters) - A glitch at the New York Stock Exchange prevented the opening auctions for a slew of stocks on Tuesday, prompting widespread trading halts, confusion over whether orders were being filled at correct prices, and trades in more than 250 securities being busted.

What happened to margin buyers during the crash? ›

In October 1929, the bad news arrived and utility stocks fell dramatically. After the utilities decreased in price, margin buyers had to sell and there was then panic selling of all stocks.

What happened on October 29th how many shares were dumped? ›

On Black Tuesday, October 29, stock holders traded over sixteen million shares and lost over $14 billion in wealth in a single day. To put this in context, a trading day of three million shares was considered a busy day on the stock market. People unloaded their stock as quickly as they could, never minding the loss.

Do stockbrokers exist anymore? ›

Today's version of stockbrokers are known as Investment Advisors, Financial Advisors, Wealth Advisors or any other dozen (or so) monikers. This demise was rapid, it happened in the last 25 years and it started with my entry into the brokerage industry in 1994.

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