1. Were investors buying or selling stock on October 14, 1929?

2. Did Richard Whitney's effort to stop the panic in 1929 work? Between 1924 and 1929 the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by how much?

3. What did Charles Merill advise his clients to do in 1928?

4. What is a Margin Call?

5. How much value did each of these companies lose during the crash?

General Electric:

General Motors:

Dow Jones Industrial Average:

6. How much money was wiped out in the crash?

7. Who did the public blame for the crash?

The Stock Market Crash of 1929 occurred during a period of unregulated wealth and excess. On October 14, 1929, investors were selling stock in large amounts. In order to halt the slide in the Dow Jones, the market indicator for the purchase and sale of stocks, Richard Whitney, the Vice President of the Stock Exchange, initiated a plan to purchase large quantities of blue chip stocks, stocks in large and reputable companies. This action resulted in temporarily halting the slide in stocks. The value of the market had increased tenfold in the 1920's as a result of speculation and inflated value in the market. A margin call occurs when value of the account falls below the broker's required minimum. While Whitney invested in the market to halt complete collapse, Charles Merrill of Bank of America suggested that his clients eliminate their financial obligations entirely. He realized that the value of the market was inflated and that the rise in stocks had peaked. The crash itself witnessed a lost of more than $30 billion in value in two days. Both General Electric and General Motors lost more than fifty percent of the value of their stocks during the crash.