> You can set up two shell companies and have them buy and sell the same paper clip between them thousands of times a second, for a million dollars each. In th

> You can set up two shell companies and have them buy and sell the same paper clip between them thousands of times a second, for a million dollars each. In the case of used goods, the only effect on GDP comes from the transaction fees paid to the broker. Same with buying an already existing house: the GDP contribution is the real estate and legal fees. And with the stock and bond markets: a trillion dollars' worth of stock changing hands only affects GDP to the extent of the brokerage fees, maybe a billion, maybe less.