How Do Investors Lose Money When the Stock Market Crashes?
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Stock markets tend to go up. This is due to economic growth and continued profits by corporations.
- Sometimes, however, the economy turns or an asset bubble pops—in which case, markets crash.
- Investors who experience a crash can lose money if they sell their positions, instead of waiting it out for a rise.
- Those who have purchased stock on margin may be forced to liquidate at a loss due to margin calls.
Selling After a Crash
Due to the way stocks are traded, investors can lose quite a bit of money if they don't understand how fluctuating share prices affect their wealth. In the simplest sense, investors buy shares at a certain price and can then sell the shares to realize capital gains. However, if dwindling investor interest and a decline in the perceived value of the stock results in a dramatic drop in the stock price, the investor will not realize a gain.
For example, suppose an investor buys 1,000 shares in a company for a total of $1,000. Due to a stock market crash, the price of the shares drops 75%. As a result, the investor's position falls from 1,000 shares worth $1,000 to 1,000 shares worth $250. In this case, if the investor sells the position, they will incur a net loss of $750. However, if the investor doesn't panic and leaves the money in the investment, there's a good chance they will eventually recoup the loss when the market rebounds.
Another way an investor can lose large amounts of money in a stock market crash is by buying on margin. In this investment strategy, investors borrow money to make a profit. More specifically, an investor pools their own money along with a very large amount of borrowed money to make a profit on small gains in the stock market. Once the investor sells the position and repays the loan and interest, a small profit will remain.
For example, if an investor borrows $999 from the bank at 5% interest and combines it with $1 of their own savings, that investor will have $1,000 available for investment purposes. If that money is invested in a stock that yields a 6% return, the investor will receive a total of $1,060. After repaying the loan (with interest), about $11 will be left over as profit. Based on the investor's personal investment of $1, this would represent a return of more than 1,000%.
This strategy certainly works if the market goes up, but if the market crashes, the investor will be in a lot of trouble. For example, if the value of the $1,000 investment drops to $100, the investor will not only lose the dollar they contributed personally but will also owe more than $950 to the bank (that's $950 owed on an initial $1.00 investment by the investor).
Margin and The Depression
In the events leading up to the Great Depression, many investors used very large margin positions to take advantage of this strategy. However, when the depression hit, these investors worsened their overall financial situations because not only did they lose everything they owned, they also owed large amounts of money. Because lending institutions could not get any money back from investors, many banks had to declare bankruptcy. In order to prevent such events from occurring again, the Securities and Exchange Commission created regulations that prevent investors from taking large positions on margin.
By taking the long-term view when the market realizes a loss and thinking long and hard before buying on margin, an investor can minimize the amount of money they lose in a stock market crash.
Wall Street Crash of 1929
The economy grew for most of the Roaring Twenties. It was a technological golden age, as innovations such as the radio, automobile, aviation, telephone, and the electric power transmission grid were deployed and adopted. Companies that had pioneered these advances, including Radio Corporation of America (RCA) and General Motors, saw their stocks soar. Financial corporations also did well, as Wall Street bankers floated mutual fund companies (then known as investment trusts) like the Goldman Sachs Trading Corporation. Investors were infatuated with the returns available in the stock market, especially by the use of leverage through margin debt.
On August 24, 1921, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) was at 63.9. By September 3, 1929, it had risen more than sixfold to 381.2. It did not regain this level for another 25 years. By the summer of 1929, it was clear that the economy was contracting, and the stock market went through a series of unsettling price declines. These declines fed investor anxiety, and events came to a head on October 24, 28, and 29 (known respectively as Black Thursday, Black Monday, and Black Tuesday).
On Black Monday, the DJIA fell 38.33 points to 260, a drop of 12.8%. The deluge of selling overwhelmed the ticker tape system that normally gave investors the current prices of their shares. Telephone lines and telegraphs were clogged and were unable to cope. This information vacuum only led to more fear and panic. The technology of the New Era, previously much celebrated by investors, now served to deepen their suffering.
The following day, Black Tuesday, was a day of chaos. Forced to liquidate their stocks because of margin calls, overextended investors flooded the exchange with sell orders. The Dow fell 30.57 points to close at 230.07 on that day. The glamour stocks of the age saw their values plummet. Across the two days, the DJIA fell 23%.
By the end of the weekend of November 11, 1929, the index stood at 228, a cumulative drop of 40% from the September high. The markets rallied in succeeding months, but it was a temporary recovery that led unsuspecting investors into further losses. The DJIA lost 89% of its value before finally bottoming out in July 1932. The crash was followed by the Great Depression, the worst economic crisis of modern times, which plagued the stock market and Wall Street throughout the 1930s
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