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Most corporate stock is owned by the wealthy: https://www.investopedia.com/news/stock-ownership-slips-inequality-creeps/ https://www.investopedia.com/news/stock

Most corporate stock is owned by the wealthy: https://www.investopedia.com/news/stock-ownership-slips-inequality-creeps/ https://www.investopedia.com/news/stock-ownership-slips-ineq... Furthermore, it is mostly hedge funds that benefit from short-term price gains, as they're frequently leveraged, often with options. Long-term holders like individuals and mutual funds are usually unleveraged.

mjfl 8y ago
Even if most corporate stock is owned by the wealthy, in terms of relative wealth changes all that matters is a person's personal percentage investment in the stock market. For example, if you have a middle class person who has 80% of their retirement savings (wealth) in stocks and a rich person who has 50% of their wealth in stock (because of liquidity concerns for example - and this is common) then if the stock market goes up by 20%, then the middle class person's wealth increases by 16% while the rich person's wealth only increases by 10%. In that situation inequality is reduced by maximizing shareholder value, so I think it's totally incorrect to say that maximizing shareholder value increases inequality in general. People need to educate themselves on personal finance matters like this because inaccurate thinking towards seriously emotional issues like this has dangerous consequences.
- kartan 8y ago
  You didn't took into account that rich people can use more of their income for investments, to leverage and to spend more time to use marked fluctuations in their favor. Your example looks correct. But I don't see how is the common case. Middle class investors usually don't have more percentage in the market that the 0.1%. Most middle class main investment is the home they live in.
- laurencerowe 8y ago
  Maximizing shareholder value concentrates returns in the hands of shareholders over employees. This has a significant distributional impact as for most income from employment dwarfs income from investments.
  - mjfl 8y ago
    again, why do you treat employees as a distinct group from shareholders? At many companies, employees are the shareholders.
    - FridgeSeal 8y ago
      Shareholders in that they have some shares, but not nearly on the same scale: shareholders have far more available money to invest and as such, investments pay off in a far larger way than for your average employee.
    - laurencerowe 8y ago
      Because employees and shareholders have distinct and sometimes opposing interests. Increasing pay for employees reduces the profits available for distribution to shareholders.
- knuththetruth 8y ago
  This is just a convoluted appeal for trickle-down economics.
- JamesBarney 8y ago
  The wealthy tend to have more wealth invested in the stock market. Most middle class wealth is invested in real estate, specifically the house they are living in.
  - rizwank 8y ago
    Citation? While this is true for many, the extent of 401(k) might signal differently. Also, most of the wealthy I know have far less in the stock market than you might imagine. Real Estate, development and private placements. Stock Market is too tax inefficient.
    - spikels 8y ago
      http://www.visualcapitalist.com/chart-assets-make-wealth/ http://www.visualcapitalist.com/chart-assets-make-wealth/ Keep in mind that when referring to real estate the value is often the equity (asset - debt) not the asset value itself. Pretty sure that is the case with SCF data from the Census.
WalterBright 8y ago
Any stockholder can leverage if they want to. Just buy on margin.
- gleenn 8y ago
  That seems incredibly misleading. As per Investopedia, buying on margin requires a margin account which requires a minimum of $2000. That is pennies, but given most Americans have far less than $2000 in their bank accounts, and most are already strapped with significant debt, suggesting the should or even could is wrong. https://www.investopedia.com/university/margin/margin1.asp https://www.investopedia.com/university/margin/margin1.asp
  - WalterBright 8y ago
    52% of Americans invest in stocks. https://www.financialsamurai.com/what-percent-of-americans-own-stocks/ https://www.financialsamurai.com/what-percent-of-americans-o... That doesn't necessarily mean 48% cannot invest in stocks - they just may be unwilling to. I know many middle class people who invest in other things besides stocks, like bonds and real estate, as well as the proverbial mattress. > strapped with significant debt Buying a house with a mortgage is leveraging an investment debt. In fact, leveraging an investment IS taking on debt.

mjfl 8y ago

Even if most corporate stock is owned by the wealthy, in terms of relative wealth changes all that matters is a person's personal percentage investment in the stock market. For example, if you have a middle class person who has 80% of their retirement savings (wealth) in stocks and a rich person who has 50% of their wealth in stock (because of liquidity concerns for example - and this is common) then if the stock market goes up by 20%, then the middle class person's wealth increases by 16% while the rich person's wealth only increases by 10%. In that situation inequality is reduced by maximizing shareholder value, so I think it's totally incorrect to say that maximizing shareholder value increases inequality in general. People need to educate themselves on personal finance matters like this because inaccurate thinking towards seriously emotional issues like this has dangerous consequences.

kartan 8y ago
You didn't took into account that rich people can use more of their income for investments, to leverage and to spend more time to use marked fluctuations in their favor. Your example looks correct. But I don't see how is the common case. Middle class investors usually don't have more percentage in the market that the 0.1%. Most middle class main investment is the home they live in.
laurencerowe 8y ago
Maximizing shareholder value concentrates returns in the hands of shareholders over employees. This has a significant distributional impact as for most income from employment dwarfs income from investments.
- mjfl 8y ago
  again, why do you treat employees as a distinct group from shareholders? At many companies, employees are the shareholders.
  - FridgeSeal 8y ago
    Shareholders in that they have some shares, but not nearly on the same scale: shareholders have far more available money to invest and as such, investments pay off in a far larger way than for your average employee.
  - laurencerowe 8y ago
    Because employees and shareholders have distinct and sometimes opposing interests. Increasing pay for employees reduces the profits available for distribution to shareholders.
knuththetruth 8y ago
This is just a convoluted appeal for trickle-down economics.
JamesBarney 8y ago
The wealthy tend to have more wealth invested in the stock market. Most middle class wealth is invested in real estate, specifically the house they are living in.
- rizwank 8y ago
  Citation? While this is true for many, the extent of 401(k) might signal differently. Also, most of the wealthy I know have far less in the stock market than you might imagine. Real Estate, development and private placements. Stock Market is too tax inefficient.
  - spikels 8y ago
    http://www.visualcapitalist.com/chart-assets-make-wealth/ http://www.visualcapitalist.com/chart-assets-make-wealth/ Keep in mind that when referring to real estate the value is often the equity (asset - debt) not the asset value itself. Pretty sure that is the case with SCF data from the Census.

WalterBright 8y ago

Any stockholder can leverage if they want to. Just buy on margin.

gleenn 8y ago
That seems incredibly misleading. As per Investopedia, buying on margin requires a margin account which requires a minimum of $2000. That is pennies, but given most Americans have far less than $2000 in their bank accounts, and most are already strapped with significant debt, suggesting the should or even could is wrong. https://www.investopedia.com/university/margin/margin1.asp https://www.investopedia.com/university/margin/margin1.asp
- WalterBright 8y ago
  52% of Americans invest in stocks. https://www.financialsamurai.com/what-percent-of-americans-own-stocks/ https://www.financialsamurai.com/what-percent-of-americans-o... That doesn't necessarily mean 48% cannot invest in stocks - they just may be unwilling to. I know many middle class people who invest in other things besides stocks, like bonds and real estate, as well as the proverbial mattress. > strapped with significant debt Buying a house with a mortgage is leveraging an investment debt. In fact, leveraging an investment IS taking on debt.