You know how it feels. You’ve been through the lackadaisy yourself. Until every next time, you rejoice. But once it approaches, you are choiceless. Office parties are boring and monotonous, indeed!
However, you always have an option to look cool when given a n opportunity! At your next such a party, show-off your unorthodox knowledge by sharing these uncanny facts with the gathering:
1.“Jingle Bells” is related to finance!
Go on, guess how. If I tell you that Jingle Bells was a song initially made to attract Bank Deposits, would you believe me? No? That’s good. ‘Cause that’s not how it is related to finance.
However, the writer of ‘Jingle Bells’, James Pierpont, was the Uncle of JP Morgan himself! The ways of family fame!
2. Magical Microsoft:
Isn’t Microsoft magical already? Let me enlighten you further with that. Sometimes, right investment in the right shares would yield magical returns.
And going by that, had you invested shares worth $100 in Microsoft in 1986, you’d have ended up with $46,600 by now! Far too magical a return that would be!
3. Monte dei Paschi di Siena:
I bet you’re wondering what that is! Relax now. That is the world’s oldest bank. Yes! Oldest bank. For your information, it still operates today and is headquartered at Tuscany, Italy.
Can you guess when it was founded? 1900s? 1800s? 1700s? No. It was founded in 1472!
4. Until 1908, individual banks could print money in the US!
Imagine the times when dollar printing was not so so unique! Every other bank had control of the money supply! Totally insane!
Well that didn’t exist too long. ‘Cause the Federal Reserve was formed. Sigh.
5. Apple’s Cash + Investments = GDP of Hungary!
Just when we were talking about international disparities! How would anyone be able to describe such a disparity?
Apple’s cash reserves are a heavy $137 billion! That not only is equivalent to the GDP of Hungary, but also more than the GDP of Vietnam and Iraq!
6. Zimbabwean inflaaa,aaa,aaaa,aaa,aaa,tion:
In November of 2008, Zimbabwe experienced the worst inflation in the whole world! A whooping sextillion percent!
In case you’re wondering, that is 6,500,000,000,000,000,000,000%. And that also meant that people had to spend the cash when they got it to maximise gains! Imagine carrying bags and bags of cash for a loaf of bread! Unbelievable.
The Robert Mugabe led government blamed foreign sanctions for the turmoil.
7. JP Morgan has enough to buy India!
Don’t take me wrong, peeps! What I humbly mean to state here is that the assets under the supervision of JP Morgan are an excess of 2.2 trillion dollars. In other words, more than Indian GDP.
Hence, we may safely conclude that they are capable of buying everything produced in India! (Given a mortgage of assets, of course!)
Now, you and I know that there shall be boring office parties in the world, but not in our part of the world! Solely because of slick individuals with slick toasts that contain slick facts on finance. That’s enough slick for now, folks!
Have fun at your next informal official gathering!
Picture Courtesy- Google images
By S. Shahid Abdul Majeed
