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 16, 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.
These spectacular Nevada Company stock market price increases over the past 6 years are clouded somewhat by the horrible current year stock market price declines of the Big 3 .....Las Vegas Sands, MGM Resorts and Wynn Resorts. Gambling revenue in Macau.....which has been 7 times that of Las Vegas..... plunged a record 49% in the month of February 2015, the ninth consecutive monthly revenue decline. What that tells me is that China's reported economic growth rate is probably being inflated. This is another reason the US Fed shouldn't be considering an increase in interest rates.
Below here are the 17 Nevada 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 16, 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 | |||
| Nevada Company | HQs | 3-16-15 | 3-6-09 | 12-31-07 | 3-16-15 | 3-6-09 | 3-16-15 | |
| $s | $s | $s | ||||||
| Las Vegas Sands | Las Vegas | NV | 52.91 | 1.77 | 103.05 | 2889% | -98% | -49% |
| AMERCO | Reno | NV | 328.00 | 23.48 | 65.68 | 1297% | -64% | 399% |
| American Pacific Corp | Las Vegas | NV | 46.47 | 4.59 | 17.05 | 912% | -73% | 173% |
| MGM Resorts | Las Vegas | NV | 19.66 | 1.99 | 84.02 | 888% | -98% | -77% |
| Wynn Resorts | Las Vegas | NV | 125.65 | 15.40 | 112.13 | 716% | -86% | 12% |
| Pinnacle Entertainment | Las Vegas | NV | 34.76 | 5.40 | 23.56 | 544% | -77% | 48% |
| Bally Technologies | Las Vegas | NV | 83.27 | 13.47 | 49.72 | 518% | -73% | 67% |
| Allegiant Travel | Las Vegas | NV | 195.91 | 33.44 | 32.14 | 486% | 4% | 510% |
| VirnetX Holding | Zephyr Cove | NV | 6.44 | 1.15 | 5.88 | 460% | -80% | 10% |
| Monarch Casino & Resort | Reno | NV | 18.12 | 3.80 | 24.08 | 377% | -84% | -25% |
| Boyd Gaming | Las Vegas | NV | 14.41 | 3.10 | 34.07 | 365% | -91% | -58% |
| Spectrum Pharmaceuticals | Henderson | NV | 6.24 | 1.43 | 2.72 | 336% | -47% | 129% |
| Employers Holdings | Reno | NV | 25.78 | 8.71 | 16.71 | 196% | -48% | 54% |
| Global Cash Access Holdings | Las Vegas | NV | 8.35 | 2.93 | 6.06 | 185% | -52% | 38% |
| International Game Technology | Las Vegas | NV | 17.68 | 7.47 | 43.93 | 137% | -83% | -60% |
| Paramount Gold & Silver Corp | Winnemucca | NV | 0.99 | 0.76 | 2.05 | 31% | -63% | -52% |
| PDL BioPharma | Incline Village | NV | 7.17 | 6.27 | 12.46 | 14% | -50% | -42% |
| Average % Change all 17 Nevada | 609% | -68% | 63% |
