Thus, as a backdrop for this upcoming speech and continuing a much deserved tribute to Bernanke's key role in helping the US avoid a Deep, Prolonged Financial Depression, I think it would be helpful to update just what has been going on with Stock Market Prices for Companies in each US State since March 6, 2009, the lowest point for the overall US Stock Market resulting from the aftershocks of the horrific late 2008 US Financial Meltdown, through the most recent date March 18, 2015......a roughly six year period of time.
Long-term Audited Earnings From Continuing Operations Under US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) drive Long-Term Changes in Stock Market Prices. These Company Earnings crashed with the late 2008 US Financial Meltdown and thus the linked Stock Market Prices of the related Companies also crashed.
But since the 2008 US Financial Meltdown, these Earnings have been consistently exceptional and thus the Stock Market Prices of the related Companies have also consistently exploded upwardly in the past six years.
This is the dilemma faced by the current US Fed ..... raise US interest rates or continue former US Fed Chair Ben Bernanke's economic policies which have continued to spur Company Earnings and thus also Company Stock Market Prices.
I think the current US Fed should tweak Bernanke's economic policies some to try to more effectively deal with income and wealth inequality, but why in the world would you want to alter them significantly since they have been so incredibly successful?
And the US Congress, and frankly also US Companies, just have to do a much better job addressing income and wealth inequality.
Georgia Companies stock market prices have been on absolute fire in the past 4 1/2 months. They experienced spectacular average stock market price growth of 558% for the 6 years since March 6, 2009 through the most recent date March 18, 2015. This average growth since March 6, 2009 was a substantially lower but still impressive 490% only 4 1/2 months ago.
Thirteen of the 69 Georgia Companies had more than Ten-Bag stock market price appreciation in the past 6 years.
Below here are the 69 Georgia Headquartered Companies with Stock Market Caps now above $100 mil and which have had their common stocks trading from December 31, 2007, or early in 2008 for companies first going public then, through the most recent date March 18, 2015, or the date the Companies were sold, if they were sold since the beginning of 2014.
| Market | Market | Market | ||||||
| Price | Price | Price | ||||||
| % | % | % | ||||||
| Change | Change | Change | ||||||
| Market | Market | Market | 3-6-09 | 12-31-07 | 12-31-07 | |||
| Price | Price | Price | to | to | to | |||
| Georgia Company | HQs | 3-18-15 | 3-6-09 | 12-31-07 | 3-18-15 | 3-6-09 | 3-18-15 | |
| $s | $s | $s | ||||||
| Gray Television | Atlanta | GA | 14.38 | 0.38 | 8.02 | 3684% | -95% | 79% |
| Asbury Automotive Group | Duluth | GA | 78.55 | 2.40 | 15.05 | 3173% | -84% | 422% |
| Carmike Cinemas | Columbus | GA | 32.32 | 1.30 | 7.26 | 2386% | -82% | 345% |
| Fidelity Southern Corp | Atlanta | GA | 16.64 | 0.93 | 7.58 | 1693% | -88% | 120% |
| Graphic Packaging Holding | Atlanta | GA | 14.79 | 0.85 | 3.69 | 1640% | -77% | 301% |
| Oxford Industries | Atlanta | GA | 57.70 | 3.50 | 25.77 | 1549% | -86% | 124% |
| Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen | Atlanta | GA | 60.08 | 3.92 | 11.32 | 1433% | -65% | 431% |
| Manhattan Associates | Atlanta | GA | 53.45 | 3.53 | 6.59 | 1414% | -46% | 711% |
| MiMedx Group | Marietta | GA | 10.08 | 0.68 | 6.35 | 1382% | -89% | 59% |
| Innotrac | Atlanta | GA | 8.19 | 0.60 | 3.61 | 1265% | -83% | 127% |
| Neenah Paper | Alpharetta | GA | 61.36 | 5.26 | 29.15 | 1067% | -82% | 110% |
| Delta Airlines | Atlanta | GA | 45.81 | 4.06 | 14.89 | 1028% | -73% | 208% |
| Beazer Homes USA | Atlanta | GA | 16.34 | 1.45 | 37.15 | 1027% | -96% | -56% |
| Interface | Atlanta | GA | 20.20 | 1.98 | 16.32 | 920% | -88% | 24% |
| Mohawk Industries | Calhoun | GA | 180.73 | 18.24 | 74.40 | 891% | -75% | 143% |
| Newell Rubbermaid | Atlanta | GA | 39.41 | 4.71 | 25.88 | 737% | -82% | 52% |
| Saia Inc | Johns Creek | GA | 44.97 | 5.51 | 8.87 | 716% | -38% | 407% |
| Acuity Brands | Atlanta | GA | 167.11 | 20.82 | 45.00 | 703% | -54% | 271% |
| Schweitzer-Mauduit Intl | Alpharetta | GA | 45.10 | 6.85 | 12.96 | 559% | -47% | 248% |
| Home Depot | Atlanta | GA | 116.08 | 18.00 | 26.94 | 545% | -33% | 331% |
| Post Properties | Atlanta | GA | 57.48 | 10.15 | 35.12 | 466% | -71% | 64% |
| Rock-Tenn | Norcross | GA | 67.20 | 11.88 | 12.71 | 466% | -7% | 429% |
| Carter's | Atlanta | GA | 91.68 | 16.30 | 19.35 | 462% | -16% | 374% |
| Heritage Financial Group | Albany | GA | 26.45 | 5.08 | 11.25 | 421% | -55% | 135% |
| Ebix Inc | Atlanta | GA | 30.72 | 5.91 | 8.13 | 420% | -27% | 278% |
| RPC Inc | Atlanta | GA | 12.24 | 2.41 | 5.20 | 408% | -54% | 135% |
| Mueller Water Products | Atlanta | GA | 9.65 | 1.98 | 9.52 | 387% | -79% | 1% |
| Arris Group | Suwanee | GA | 31.03 | 6.37 | 9.98 | 387% | -36% | 211% |
| AFLAC | Columbus | GA | 63.62 | 13.44 | 62.63 | 373% | -79% | 2% |
| Numerex | Atlanta | GA | 11.05 | 2.34 | 8.25 | 371% | -72% | 34% |
| Axiall | Atlanta | GA | 45.62 | 9.75 | 165.50 | 368% | -94% | -72% |
| Equifax | Atlanta | GA | 92.68 | 20.21 | 36.36 | 359% | -44% | 155% |
| SunTrust Banks | Atlanta | GA | 42.55 | 9.36 | 62.49 | 355% | -85% | -32% |
| NCR | Duluth | GA | 30.00 | 6.80 | 25.10 | 341% | -73% | 20% |
| Coca-Cola Enterprises | Atlanta | GA | 42.65 | 10.00 | 26.03 | 327% | -62% | 64% |
| Invesco Ltd | Atlanta | GA | 41.78 | 9.83 | 31.38 | 325% | -69% | 33% |
| Internap Network Services | Atlanta | GA | 9.89 | 2.42 | 8.33 | 309% | -71% | 19% |
| IntercontinentalExchange Group | Atlanta | GA | 231.47 | 60.39 | 192.50 | 283% | -69% | 20% |
| Rollins | Atlanta | GA | 24.13 | 6.45 | 8.53 | 274% | -24% | 183% |
| Genuine Parts | Atlanta | GA | 95.24 | 25.55 | 46.30 | 273% | -45% | 106% |
| Thomasville Bancshares | Thomasville | GA | 27.40 | 7.50 | 10.63 | 265% | -29% | 158% |
| Total System Services | Columbus | GA | 39.02 | 11.82 | 28.00 | 230% | -58% | 39% |
| Global Payments | Atlanta | GA | 91.99 | 28.34 | 46.52 | 225% | -39% | 98% |
| Haverty Furniture | Atlanta | GA | 24.60 | 7.75 | 8.99 | 217% | -14% | 174% |
| AGCO Corp | Duluth | GA | 47.91 | 15.10 | 67.98 | 217% | -78% | -30% |
| American Software | Atlanta | GA | 9.73 | 3.17 | 8.50 | 207% | -63% | 14% |
| Cumulus Media | Atlanta | GA | 2.95 | 1.07 | 8.04 | 176% | -87% | -63% |
| Marine Products | Atlanta | GA | 8.39 | 3.21 | 7.01 | 161% | -54% | 20% |
| United Parcel Service | Atlanta | GA | 100.26 | 39.38 | 70.72 | 155% | -44% | 42% |
| CryoLife | Kennesaw | GA | 10.39 | 4.10 | 7.95 | 153% | -48% | 31% |
| Zep Inc | Atlanta | GA | 17.05 | 7.02 | 13.87 | 143% | -49% | 23% |
| Agilysys | Alpharetta | GA | 9.64 | 3.97 | 15.12 | 143% | -74% | -36% |
| Southeastern Bank Financial | Augusta | GA | 27.98 | 12.00 | 31.36 | 133% | -62% | -11% |
| Flower Foods | Thomasville | GA | 21.92 | 9.78 | 10.40 | 124% | -6% | 111% |
| Aaron's | Atlanta | GA | 28.25 | 12.78 | 11.51 | 121% | 11% | 146% |
| Citi Trends | Savannah | GA | 25.16 | 11.61 | 15.44 | 117% | -25% | 63% |
| Coca-Cola | Atlanta | GA | 40.60 | 19.55 | 30.69 | 108% | -36% | 32% |
| Cousins Properties Inc | Atlanta | GA | 10.50 | 5.81 | 20.56 | 81% | -72% | -49% |
| Ocwen Financial | Atlanta | GA | 8.73 | 5.38 | 3.34 | 62% | 61% | 162% |
| Synovus Financial | Columbus | GA | 28.19 | 18.55 | 73.71 | 52% | -75% | -62% |
| United Community Banks | Blairsville | GA | 18.44 | 12.20 | 79.00 | 51% | -85% | -77% |
| PRGX Global | Atlanta | GA | 4.12 | 2.85 | 8.57 | 45% | -67% | -52% |
| MedAssets | Alpharetta | GA | 18.89 | 13.28 | 23.94 | 42% | -45% | -21% |
| Gentiva Health Services | Atlanta | GA | 19.19 | 13.80 | 19.04 | 39% | -28% | 1% |
| Charter Financial | West Point | GA | 11.99 | 8.82 | 34.48 | 36% | -74% | -65% |
| Premiere Global Services | Atlanta | GA | 9.47 | 7.03 | 14.85 | 35% | -53% | -36% |
| Crawford & Co | Atlanta | GA | 8.89 | 7.14 | 4.15 | 25% | 72% | 114% |
| Cbeyond | Atlanta | GA | 9.99 | 13.04 | 38.99 | -23% | -67% | -74% |
| EarthLink Holdings | Atlanta | GA | 4.54 | 6.13 | 7.07 | -26% | -13% | -36% |
| Average % Change all 69 Georgia Companies | 558% | -55% | 105% | |||||
