this post was submitted on 30 Mar 2024
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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.

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[–] SamsonSeinfelder@feddit.de 105 points 7 months ago (2 children)

We have to take back that wealth. Right this is the reason why we have not the lifes we deserve. That are the funds that were siphoned off from our society. The people created this worth. Not some guys at the top.

[–] aStonedSanta@lemm.ee 57 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Correct. This is the stolen education of our future generations. This is the stolen lunch’s of our children. When does America wake up? I guess it takes physically seeing it happen. We are gonna be so down trodden before someone steps up it seems.

[–] Ragnarok314159@sopuli.xyz 7 points 7 months ago

No, don’t you see the real issues are trans people and some other random social problem Fox News tells conservatives to get in an uproar about.

Why we can’t have nice things.

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[–] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 69 points 7 months ago (15 children)

Economists say the rising stock market is giving an added boost to consumer spending through what is known as the “wealth effect.” When consumers and investors see their stock holdings soar, they feel more confident spending and taking more risk.

I somehow suspect that this thing about the wealth effect is total and utter bullshit.

[–] TheAgeOfSuperboredom@lemmy.ca 46 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Just like trickle down economics.

[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 16 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (3 children)

What's crazy is the reason people believe in it, is total coincidence.

Bill Clinton thought it was a good idea and republicans just implemented it wrong, and then when he was president the dotcom boom happened and everyone gave credit to Clinton's policy. It stopped being a conversation on if it worked, and became how best to implement it.

Like when Biden did the "child predators" bill, it wasn't harsh punishments that got crime under control, it was the normal effect of banning leaded gasoline 20 years earlier. But we're left with two "tough on crime" options even though that approach just doesn't work.

In both cases it's reminiscent of cargo cults, a good thing happened, so we just repeat what we were doing when it happened and expect the good thing again.

But with how long political careers are and how slow science moves, by the time we can prove it, they've built huge careers off the false assumption they had something to do with it. For them to admit they've been wrong, they have to realize they spent decades doing the wrong thing and while they had good intentions they've been causing harm.

That's a big ask for anyone, but especially for someone whose over 60.

So they ignore all evidence and double down even harder

[–] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 9 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (7 children)

That’s a big ask for anyone, but especially for someone whose over 60.

Interesting that you reference Bill Clinton, because he is actually on record on realizing some stuff he did was the wrong choice. Specifically the idea of treating food as commodities and not a human right. Not that that invalidates your point, just an interesting note.

"Food is not a commodity like others," Clinton said. "We should go back to a policy of maximum food self-sufficiency. It is crazy for us to think we can develop countries around the world without increasing their ability to feed themselves."

Clinton was 61 years old in 2008.

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[–] Etterra@lemmy.world 66 points 7 months ago (11 children)

tHe EcOnOmY iS dOiNg GrEaT

No, the stock market is doing great at making the rich richer. The economy is fucking broken. On purpose. The crushing of the working class to enrich the 1% is capitalism working exactly as intended.

[–] m13@lemmy.world 25 points 7 months ago (1 children)

I’m sure the wealth will trickle down any moment now. Been waiting about 40 years now. Must be happening soon.

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[–] Crikeste@lemm.ee 13 points 7 months ago

And no one will listen to you because America has a stake in the stupidity of its people.

[–] Ragnarok314159@sopuli.xyz 12 points 7 months ago

Some much computational energy and human talent is wasted on finance coming up with imaginary and derivative products that do nothing but make rich people richer.

It’s nothing but speculative wealth that doesn’t actually exist, but the federal government prints bonds to underwrite this garbage. Then morons talk about how the feds print money that cause inflation, but are too stupid to realize why.

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[–] gAlienLifeform@lemmy.world 62 points 7 months ago (23 children)

We just shouldn't allow individuals to have over a billion dollars, just 100% tax on anything over a billion when combined assets exceed that number. Both because there's no good reason for any one person to have that much money and because as pathetic as American campaign finance laws are it's a legit national security risk for someone to have that kind of money to throw at their pet causes.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 42 points 7 months ago (38 children)

I would lower that to $100 million. I don't think there's even a good reason for anyone to be that rich, but if we're going for a crazy upper limit...

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[–] BrianTheeBiscuiteer@lemmy.world 23 points 7 months ago (6 children)

If you had a billion dollars and never earned a penny more, you would actually find it hard to spend it all before you die. It could probably fully support several generations of your family. I'm totally fine with saying, "Congratulations! You maxed out the money counter in the game of Life!"

[–] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 8 points 7 months ago

We could give them a trophy and everything

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[–] CosmicCleric@lemmy.world 9 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

We used to have a super high tax rate on the wealthy (91%) in the past, but it got repealed.

Let your house representative know you'd like that to return.

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[–] 3volver@lemmy.world 55 points 7 months ago (7 children)

Thanks Reagan, still waiting for it to trickle down you fucking liar.

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[–] Suavevillain@lemmy.world 41 points 7 months ago (2 children)

It should be trickling down any second now. Meanwhile, the Kellogg's CEO is telling people to eat cereal for dinner because they are poor.

[–] n3m37h@lemmy.dbzer0.com 14 points 7 months ago

Not to mention that per weight beef is cheaper

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[–] RemoveEgoDivineFreedom@lemmy.world 37 points 7 months ago (4 children)
[–] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 8 points 7 months ago (2 children)

Plenty of meat on those bones.

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[–] tsonfeir@lemm.ee 36 points 7 months ago

44 trillion would end world… problems.

Let’s END… the… problem.

🍽️ the 🤑

[–] Daft_ish@lemmy.world 35 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (30 children)

Nice! Good job all. It sucks that our wealth is being harvested by a few psychos but dam we are working our asses off and generating vasts amounts of it. For someone else but still damn, super impressed.

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[–] theangryseal@lemmy.world 31 points 7 months ago (6 children)

And here I am terrified to spend a penny.

Maybe the billionaires will buy each other’s shit and we can all just die already and let them play with resources without us.

I don’t know what I’m trying to say. Going to bed for my back to back 16 hour shifts over the next two days.

Good night fellow poors.

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[–] Ultragigagigantic@lemmy.world 29 points 7 months ago

Capitalism is working as intended, support ticket closed.

[–] theblueredditrefugee@lemmy.world 29 points 7 months ago
[–] Dreizehn@kbin.social 25 points 7 months ago (7 children)

Out-of-control. The USA should return to the 1960's tax brackets.

[–] Bipta@kbin.social 17 points 7 months ago

It's too late. We need to be even more aggressive now to correct the egregious imbalance.

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[–] BigMacHole@lemm.ee 25 points 7 months ago (19 children)

When do we start taking heads?

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[–] DirkMcCallahan@lemmy.world 16 points 7 months ago

Absolutely disgusting. And conservatives are itching to cut taxes on the wealthy even further.

[–] lennybird@lemmy.world 14 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

... But it's the poor mother pulling herself up by the bootstraps, making the perilous journey north to work comparatively-shit jobs to help give her kids a brighter future that is apparently the problem to righties — who, by the way — we all benefit from their cheap labor in the first place...

$20 spent to a person making 100,000/year...

... Is the same as a single-billionaire spending $200,000.

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[–] skittle07crusher@sh.itjust.works 13 points 7 months ago (3 children)

May be unpopular but congrats to all 7 of them

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[–] LodeMike@lemmy.today 12 points 7 months ago

That's over 5k per human currently alive.

[–] PugJesus@kbin.social 12 points 7 months ago (1 children)
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[–] notaviking@lemmy.world 11 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (7 children)

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.

[–] merc@sh.itjust.works 9 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (3 children)

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.

So that means if you have more than $550 000 in wealth, you are a one percenter.

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.

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[–] Blackmist@feddit.uk 8 points 7 months ago

You'll be in the top 1% on much less than that. It's still heavily skewed towards the 0.0001%.

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[–] Splatterphace@lemm.ee 11 points 7 months ago

OFF. WITH. THEIR. HEADS.

[–] Igotz80HDnImWinning@kbin.social 11 points 7 months ago

It’s Guillotime™️

[–] Hobbes_Dent@lemmy.world 8 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Was Reagan in Australia when he mentioned trickle-down economics?

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