{"id":862768,"date":"2020-06-17T23:08:28","date_gmt":"2020-06-18T03:08:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.finder.com\/ca\/?p=862768"},"modified":"2026-04-14T22:29:31","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T02:29:31","slug":"stock-trading-statistics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.finder.com\/ca\/stock-trading\/stock-trading-statistics","title":{"rendered":"Statistics and facts about the stock market for 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"

What\u2019s hot and what\u2019s not? Over the last few decades, the drive to find the next trend or get in on the ground floor of a budding business prompted greater interest in stock markets and share trading.<\/a><\/p>

It didn\u2019t matter if equities were hitting historical highs or plunging to significant lows as the appetite for better data and deeper insights was almost insatiable \u2014 and with good reason. By the end of 2021, the estimated value of global share trading was roughly $56.6 trillion<\/strong> (US$43.5 trillion), according to Statista.(1)<\/a><\/sup> The sum is so large, that it\u2019s almost possible to lose sight of how important equities are to our national economy and individual wealth accumulation.<\/p>

To help, we\u2019ve compiled a list of critical or interesting stock market statistics and facts. The goal is to offer insight and context while highlighting key trends that influence equities trading, market cycles, demographic differences and changing trends while providing insight into the best stock trading platforms<\/a> and whether or not stock trading is worth it.<\/p>

Facts about the stock market: Key statistics for the global equities market<\/h3>

928 <\/b><\/strong><\/b>\u2014 The number of stock markets and trading venues, globally<\/strong> (2)<\/a><\/sup>
10% <\/b><\/strong><\/b>\u2014 The average stock market return based on a century of data for the S&P 500<\/strong> (3)<\/a><\/sup>
59.9%<\/b><\/strong> \u2014 The US\u2019s share of the world equity market, as of January 2022<\/b> (4)<\/a><\/sup>
2.5%<\/b><\/strong> \u2014 Canada\u2019s share of the world equity market, as of January 2022<\/b> (5)<\/a><\/sup>
19.5%<\/b><\/strong> \u2014 Total drop in the value of the global stock market from 2010 to 2020<\/b> (6)<\/a><\/sup>(7)<\/a><\/sup><\/p>

What is the stock market?<\/h3>

A stock exchange is a marketplace where investors buy and sell stocks, bonds and other exchange-traded securities. World stock markets provide companies and investors with the infrastructure and technology to publicly buy and sell stocks and securities.<\/p>

Canadians\u2019 confidence in the stock market<\/h3>

In the recent Finder: Consumer Sentiment Survey Q2 2023<\/em>, more than 1,010 Canadians were asked \u201cDo you think now is a good time to put money into the following?\u201d and then provided a list of products and accounts (multiple responses allowed). Most Canadians (33%) felt that a high-interest savings accounts<\/strong> was the best place to stash cash<\/strong>, while another 32% felt savings plans<\/strong> was the best option, followed by 27% who chose stocks<\/strong>. Less than 1 in 10 (9%) considered forex (foreign currency) investments or term deposits<\/strong> (such as short-term GICs) to be a good investment option, at this point in time.<\/p>

Drilling deeper into these results, men were more optimistic about stock investments, with 30% under the belief that now was a good time to invest in equities, compared to 23% of women. From a generational perspective, baby boomers were most bearish on stock investments with only 12% considering it a good time to invest in stocks, compared to 35% of Gen Z, 30% of millennials and 21% of Gen X.<\/p>