Posts tagged “Dow Jones”

The Week by the Numbers: December 29, 2013 – January 4, 2014

By Matt Phifer

Almost 30 – Percent gain in the stock market in 2013

2013 was the best year on Wall Street since 1997 with investors seeing a nearly 30 percent gain on investment.  It was a record-breaking year with the Dow Jones closing on highs 52 times despite various issues like the turmoil in Egypt, the Boston Marathon bombings and speculation of a change in Federal Reserve policies.  The Dow Jones closed the year with a new record high of 16,576.66.  The S&P 500 saw 45 new highs and went up 29.6 percent, the biggest gain in 16 years.  The Nasdaq returned to a level not seen since September 2000.  

1,058 – Candidates have made the short list to be part of a Mars colony

Mars One, which launched in 2011 and has the goal of beginning a colony on Mars by 2025, has narrowed its candidate list to 1,058 possible Martian colonists from over 200,000 applicants.  The applicants will have to undergo rigorous tests including simulations of life on Mars as well as isolation tests in order to determine who will make the final cut.  Only 24 of the 1,058 will be selected to make the mission, which Mars One hopes to accomplish in 2025.

Over 1 million – People have signed up for Obamacare

Over 1 million Americans signed up for Obamacare in the month of December, pushing the total number of enrolled citizens to roughly 1.1 million by the end of 2013.  The majority of those who signed up did so in the week before the deadline to have coverage in January.  The numbers still fall far short of the Obama administration’s initial projections that 3.3 million people would be signed up for healthcare through the federal and state exchanges by the end of the year.

January 8, 2014 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Week by the Numbers: December 29, 2013 – January 4, 2014

The Week by the Numbers: May 26-June 1, 2013

Sometimes the real story is in the numbers.

By Matt Phifer

This is the first in a weekly column I will write that looks at the week in terms of numbers.  Sometimes the real story is in the numbers, whether it be money spent, hours passed or some other fact.  Face it; numbers can be fascinating so without further adieu let’s look at the past week in numbers.

3.8: The Overnight Rating of this year’s Indianapolis 500

Last Sunday’s Indy 500 was hailed as one of the best in recent memory with a record number of lead changes and fan favorite Tony Kanaan finally reaching victory lane in his twelfth start at the speedway.  Yet, the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” did not fare well on television.  This year’s 3.8 rating is the lowest the Indy 500 has received since it started airing live on ABC in 1986 according to sportsmediawatch.com.  Last year the race drew a 4.1 overnight rating.

5 Hours 40 Minutes: The Fastest Trip to the International Space Station

On Tuesday Russian Cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin, NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg and Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency made the fastest trip in history to the International Space Station.  The crew lifted off from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 4:31 EDT and arrived at the ISS around 10:10 EDT.  The crew will be aboard the station for the next several months as part of Expedition 36.

10.8%: Percentage of Roll Call Votes Michele Bachmann has missed while in Congress

This week Minnesota Representative and former presidential candidate Michele Bachmann announced she would not run for re-election in 2014, meaning her tenure in Congress will end in January 2015.  Since joining Congress in 2007, Bachmann has missed 10.8% or 577 of 5,320 roll call votes according to www.govtrack.us.  The median for missed roll call votes of current members of Congress is 2.3%.

68: The Record Number of Lead Changes in this year’s Indianapolis 500

The previously mentioned Indianapolis 500 was an exciting race despite its dismal television ratings.  The race’s 68 lead changes doubled the previous record of 34 set in last year’s race.  This year’s Indy 500 also saw a record number of different lap leaders with 14 drivers leading at least one lap throughout the afternoon, breaking the previous record of 12 set in 1993.

96: The Age John F. Kennedy would have turned this past Wednesday

Wednesday May 29 would have been President John F. Kennedy’s 96th birthday.  This November will mark the 50th anniversary of Kennedy’s assassination in Dallas.  A 2010 Gallup survey showed that Kennedy held the highest approval rating (85%) of the nine most recent presidents, a spot he has consistently held since the retrospective poll started in 1990.

$5,000: The Flopping Fines for Lebron James, David West and Lance Stephenson

Flopping can have a high price now in the NBA.  Miami Heat superstar Lebron James and Indiana Pacers players David West and Lance Stephenson were each slapped with $5,000 fines for flopping in Game 4 of the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals.  The fines will go up if they flop again in the playoffs.  A second flop will lead to a $10,000 fine.  A third flop would cost $15,000 and a fourth flop would cost $30,000.  A fifth could lead to disciplinary action from the league.

15,409.39: The Dow Jones’s Record High at the Closing Bell on Tuesday

The Dow Jones Industrial Average hit a record high upon closing on Tuesday.  The high rating was credited to everything from high consumer confidence to the U.S. economy’s resilience in the wake of this year’s federal spending cuts.  Still, Wall Street got a tough dose of reality on Wednesday with the Dow dropping 137.08 points, closing at 15,272.31.

33,000: The number of American flags planted on Boston Common for Memorial Day

Boston city officials and members of the Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund placed one flag on Boston Common for every military service member from Massachusetts who died in defense of the United States since the Civil War.  The final 170 flags were planted on the Thursday before Memorial Day.  Each of those flags represented a military service member from Massachusetts who died since September 11.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

June 2, 2013 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Week by the Numbers: May 26-June 1, 2013