63. Public filings show that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has owned stock in just one individual company over the last decade: Altria Group (which he sold in 2004).
64. Renaissance Technologies, a hedge fund run by James Simons, has allegedly produced average returns of 80% a year since 1988 (before fees), according to Bloomberg. That would turn $1,000 into $2.4 billion in 25 years.
65. The S&P 500 has returned about 9% a year over the long run, but few years see returns even close to that. Since 1871, the index has risen or fallen more than 20% in one out of every three years. Less than one out of every five years sees a gain of between 1% and 9%.
66. Since U.S. markets bottomed in March 2009, more than $8 trillion of lost wealth has been recouped.
67. During the Federal Reserve’s June 2007 policy meeting, the word “recession” was used the times; the word “strong” was used 61 times. The economy entered recession six months later.
68. Last year, Franklin Templeton asked 1,000 investors whether the S&P 500 went up or down in 2009 and 2010. Sixty-six percent thought it went down in 2009, while 48% said it declined in 2010. In reality, the index gained 26.5% in 2009 and 15.1% in 2010.
69. The share of an average U.S. household budget going toward gas in 2012 was nearly 4%, tying for the highest level in almost three decades, according to Energy Information Administration figures cited by The Guardian.
70. “Of the Americans who earn over $150,000, 82 percent had a bachelor’s degree. Just 6.5 percent had no more than a high school diploma,” writes Catherine Rampell of The New York Times.
71. According to a survey by Paola Sapienza and Luigi Zingales, effectively all economists agreed that stock prices are hard to predict. Only 59% of average Americans felt the same way.
72. According to the IMF, if Japan’s female labor-participation rate rose to levels of Northern Europe, its per-capita GDP could be permanently increased by 8%.
73. Credit card debt as a percentage of GDP is now at the lowest level in two decades.
74. The Energy Information Administration predicts that U.S. oil imports will fall to 6 million barrels a day next year — their lowest level in 25 years.
75. According to economist Stephen Bronars, the new 39.6% federal tax bracket will only affect 0.7% of taxpayers but will hit 9.5% of aggregate personal income, as top earners earn a disproportionate share of the national income.
76. From 2001 to 2007, new-home construction outpaced household formation by more than 3 million homes.
77. According to Gallup, 51.3% of Americans consider themselves “thriving,” 45.1% say they are “struggling,” and 3.6% say they’re “suffering.”
78. An average couple will pay $155,000 in in 401(k) fees over their careers, according to Demos, reducing an average account balance from $510,000 to $355,000.
79. Related: 84% of actively managed U.S. stock funds underperformed the S&P 500 in 2011.
80. According to The Wall Street Journal, 49.1% of Americans live in a household “where at least one member received some type of government benefit in the first quarter of 2011.”
81. According to New York Times writer Binyamin Appelbaum: “Average months between US recessions since 1854: 42. Months since last recession: 42.”
