| As we enter the second decade of the 21st | | | | boost their incomes, especially during the period when |
| Century, Wall Street is in an upbeat mood since the | | | | interest rates on the dollar were lower, than inflation. |
| financial upheaval experienced in late 2008. Bringing | | | | They lost millions investing in Wall Streets current |
| good news to investors and Governments around | | | | biggest losers General Electric, Du Pont and a global |
| the World, but the bad news is that the first decade | | | | soft drinks giant. |
| of the 21st Century a decade were stocks had an | | | | Some people are smiling at the end of this turbulent |
| average of a minus 10% return. | | | | decade, the financial crisis of 2008, has stabilized, as |
| Much has happened since the start of the new | | | | real fears of the collapse of the Global financial |
| millennium, and the heady first years of a credit | | | | system have subsided. |
| boom, that somehow went bust in late 2008. And | | | | The biggest winners of the decade have been United |
| Wall Street has illustrated one illusion that investing in | | | | Technologies group, where if you invested 100 U$ |
| stocks during this period was good business. | | | | Dollars back in 2000, now have a return of over 250 |
| By the close of 2009, an estimated average of 10% | | | | US$. |
| has been lost on existing stocks traded by Wall | | | | But the losers have been more than the winners, and |
| Street. An investor who bought 100 US Dollars of | | | | the biggest losers being once the pillars of stability, |
| stocks in 2000, today would have 90 US$, worth of | | | | Banks. Once considered safe, now like Citigroup |
| stocks today. Counting for ten years of inflation, this | | | | valued once at a high at 55 US Dollars a stock, today |
| spells bad news for investors. | | | | a C Stock valued at 3.40 US Dollars- a symbol of plain |
| These figures do not include Enron, General Motors, | | | | financial bad management. |
| AIG and Citigroup which ruined many investors, who | | | | The next decade could remake Wall Street, as |
| held their stocks, and this tells a very different story | | | | investors looking at their financial balance sheets for |
| from the upbeat mood shown on Wall Street at the | | | | the decade, simply look elsewhere for higher returns. |
| moment. | | | | And this could become the era of private venture |
| Many people who in fact invested in Wall Street, | | | | capital, and investing in emerging markets like Brazil. |
| were ordinary people, who were looking for ways to | | | | |