What happened as a result of the stock market crash of 1929?

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Read the article and answer the question: What happened as a result of the stock market crash of 1929?
Warning signs of trouble ignored before stock
market crash in 1929
per
By History.com, adapted by Newsela staff on 08.22.19
Word Count 878
Level 590L
People gather across from the New York Stock Exchange in New York City on Black Thursday, October 24, 1929. Thousands of investors
lost their savings in the worst stock market crash in Wall Street history on October 29 after a five-day frenzy of heavy trading. Too much
speculation with borrowed money had inflated market values unrealistically. Photo from AP
In the spring and summer of 1929, the U.S. economy was booming. Businesses were doing great.
There were plenty of jobs. Investors were making a lot of money in the stock market. The future
looked bright. The 1920s were called the Roaring '20s because everything seemed exciting and
fast.
In 1929, Irving Fisher said he had confidence in the U.S. economy. Fisher was a top economist. He
believed businesses would keep going strong. If they did slow down, he said it would be a small
slump. Other experts, though, predicted a steeper drop. No one, though, predicted what happened
late in October. It is remembered as the stock market crash of 1929.
How The Stock Market Works
What is the stock market? It is a trading system. It allows people to buy and sell investments. It is
a way of helping companies get money to build their business. Stock prices go up or down
This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.
Transcribed Image Text:Warning signs of trouble ignored before stock market crash in 1929 per By History.com, adapted by Newsela staff on 08.22.19 Word Count 878 Level 590L People gather across from the New York Stock Exchange in New York City on Black Thursday, October 24, 1929. Thousands of investors lost their savings in the worst stock market crash in Wall Street history on October 29 after a five-day frenzy of heavy trading. Too much speculation with borrowed money had inflated market values unrealistically. Photo from AP In the spring and summer of 1929, the U.S. economy was booming. Businesses were doing great. There were plenty of jobs. Investors were making a lot of money in the stock market. The future looked bright. The 1920s were called the Roaring '20s because everything seemed exciting and fast. In 1929, Irving Fisher said he had confidence in the U.S. economy. Fisher was a top economist. He believed businesses would keep going strong. If they did slow down, he said it would be a small slump. Other experts, though, predicted a steeper drop. No one, though, predicted what happened late in October. It is remembered as the stock market crash of 1929. How The Stock Market Works What is the stock market? It is a trading system. It allows people to buy and sell investments. It is a way of helping companies get money to build their business. Stock prices go up or down This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.
pleawen
depending on whether people buy or sell the stock. Investors make money when the market goes
up. They lose money if it goes down.
Stock prices crashed in October 1929. The stock market fell 25 percent in just two days. Investors
d lost 90 P
panicked. They sold their stocks at lower and lower prices. By mid-November the stock market
had lost 50 percent. It finally hit bottom in 1932. By then it had lost 90 percent.
Stock Market Crash Led To The Great Depression
eser ni dana 19x160
The stock market crash badly harmed the U.S. economy. Many investors lost everything. The crash
added to other economic problems the country had. It was an economic disaster known as the
Great Depression.
People sometimes say, "Hindsight is 20/20." They mean it is easy to see why something went
wrong after it happens. Looking back, there were signs of trouble before the crash.
Gary Richardson is an economics professor. He has studied the 1929 crash and the Great
Depression. He says most investors knew the stock market could not keep rising. However, they
did not know how it would fall or how far.
"Sooner Or Later A Crash Is Coming"
Roger Babson was an economist in the 1920s. He could see trouble for the stock market. He said
stock prices were way too high. In 1929, he spoke at a gathering of businessmen. He said
that "sooner or later a crash is coming which will take in the leading stocks and cause a decline ..."
What would happen then? Investors were likely to panic as they lost money. They would try to sell
their stocks while they were still worth something. More selling would drive down stock prices
further.
Fisher, the economist, brushed off such fears. On October 15, 1929, he told people that stock prices
would stay high. He was very wrong. The stock market crash began two weeks later.
The Federal Reserve is the central bank of the United States. It oversees other banks. It also helps
manage the U.S. economy. It is often referred to as the Fed.
The Fed Had Concerns Before Market Crash
Before the crash, the Fed had worries about the stock market. It believed the market was rising too
fast. Part of the problem was how people were investing. Some investors were borrowing money to
buy stocks. Investment brokers made these loans. Investors might pay 10 percent of a stock price
to buy the stock, for example. They had to borrow the other 90 percent. This practice is known as
"buying on margin."
Buying on margin is risky. It lets investors borrow money to buy stock. If all goes well, the stock
price goes up. Then it is great. Investors can pay off the loan with the money they make. But what
if share prices go down? Then investors can lose a lot of money very quickly. The broker can tell
the investor to repay the loan immediately.
Buying on margin contributed to the rising stock market. People were buying stocks with money
they didn't really have. The Fed wanted to slow or stop this practice. They believed they could cool
off the stock market.
Transcribed Image Text:pleawen depending on whether people buy or sell the stock. Investors make money when the market goes up. They lose money if it goes down. Stock prices crashed in October 1929. The stock market fell 25 percent in just two days. Investors d lost 90 P panicked. They sold their stocks at lower and lower prices. By mid-November the stock market had lost 50 percent. It finally hit bottom in 1932. By then it had lost 90 percent. Stock Market Crash Led To The Great Depression eser ni dana 19x160 The stock market crash badly harmed the U.S. economy. Many investors lost everything. The crash added to other economic problems the country had. It was an economic disaster known as the Great Depression. People sometimes say, "Hindsight is 20/20." They mean it is easy to see why something went wrong after it happens. Looking back, there were signs of trouble before the crash. Gary Richardson is an economics professor. He has studied the 1929 crash and the Great Depression. He says most investors knew the stock market could not keep rising. However, they did not know how it would fall or how far. "Sooner Or Later A Crash Is Coming" Roger Babson was an economist in the 1920s. He could see trouble for the stock market. He said stock prices were way too high. In 1929, he spoke at a gathering of businessmen. He said that "sooner or later a crash is coming which will take in the leading stocks and cause a decline ..." What would happen then? Investors were likely to panic as they lost money. They would try to sell their stocks while they were still worth something. More selling would drive down stock prices further. Fisher, the economist, brushed off such fears. On October 15, 1929, he told people that stock prices would stay high. He was very wrong. The stock market crash began two weeks later. The Federal Reserve is the central bank of the United States. It oversees other banks. It also helps manage the U.S. economy. It is often referred to as the Fed. The Fed Had Concerns Before Market Crash Before the crash, the Fed had worries about the stock market. It believed the market was rising too fast. Part of the problem was how people were investing. Some investors were borrowing money to buy stocks. Investment brokers made these loans. Investors might pay 10 percent of a stock price to buy the stock, for example. They had to borrow the other 90 percent. This practice is known as "buying on margin." Buying on margin is risky. It lets investors borrow money to buy stock. If all goes well, the stock price goes up. Then it is great. Investors can pay off the loan with the money they make. But what if share prices go down? Then investors can lose a lot of money very quickly. The broker can tell the investor to repay the loan immediately. Buying on margin contributed to the rising stock market. People were buying stocks with money they didn't really have. The Fed wanted to slow or stop this practice. They believed they could cool off the stock market.
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