US tech giants don’t just have your data – they are in your pension too
The population of the US, at 325 million, makes up just over 4% of the world’s total population. But its stock market, fuelled by the rise of Apple, Google, Amazon and Facebook, comprises 60% of the value of all shares traded on the planet. The Dow Jones index of Wall Street-traded companies stood at 16,000 in early 2016, but is about 25,000 now. And the Nasdaq index of tech shares has nearly doubled in just two years. Together, Apple, Google, Amazon and Facebook are now worth $3tn (£2.2tn). Meanwhile, closer to home, the FTSE 100 earlier this week hit a record high.
Is this a bubble? And is there anything the average person can do to protect themselves?
The answer to the first question must always be “don’t know”. None of us can predict equity movements and, if stock market history teaches us anything, it’s that bubbles go on for much longer and become much bigger long after the first naysayers warn about overvaluations.
Read More: The Guardian
