Unsettling 2015 Factoid: "Value of gun manufacturers' stocks almost doubled in 2015"
Value of gun manufacturers' stocks almost doubled in 2015
*Smith & Wesson and Sturm, Ruger and Company record big rises
*Analyst says surge in sales is fueled by fear and desire for self-defense
by Jana Kasperkevic * December 31, 2015 * The Nation
Stock markets around the world closed down on the last trading day of 2015, with the Dow suffering its first annual drop since 2008. But for the two largest stock market-listed gun manufacturers 2015 has been another great year – their value has doubled.
In a year marred with gun violence and peppered with calls for tougher gun control measures, Smith & Wesson and Sturm, Ruger and Company have been two of the best performing stocks in the US.
Over the year
Smith & Wesson rose from $9.47 to $21.98. Sturm, Ruger and Company rose from $34.63 to $59.61. It’s not just 2015 that has been good for gun stocks. Over the past five years, stocks of Smith & Wesson increased in value sixfold while stocks of Sturm, Ruger and Company quadrupled in value.
By comparison, Apple stock remained almost unchanged over the past year and only doubled in value over the past five years, reaching about $105 a share this year compared with $46 in 2010.
Netflix, which has been named as one of the best performing stocks of 2015, performed as well as the US gun companies – more than doubling in value over the past 12 months and growing by 464% over the past five years, reaching $114 a share on Thursday compared with $25 in 2010.
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/dec/31/value-of-gun-manufacturers-stocks-almost-doubled-in-2015