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With the wild trip that was 2021 now largely within the books, it’s clear wanting again that the year’s biggest headlines handled cash, funds and the financial system. Actually, 4 of the 5 most-searched information tales of the yr concerned cash in a technique or one other. Utilizing knowledge from Google’s annual Yr in Search report, GOBankingRates recognized the monetary buzzwords that outlined the yr. You don’t should look far to see that fears, hopes, worries and desires about cash weren’t removed from the minds of most individuals in 2021.
See: Stimulus Checks, Inflation and More of the Biggest Financial News Stories of the Year
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Mega Thousands and thousands
For perception into America’s monetary way of thinking in 2021, the No. 1 most-searched phrase throughout all the information class for the entire yr was “Mega Thousands and thousands.” For these not within the know, that’s whenever you get immediately catapulted into the highest 1% by guessing an not possible sequence of numbers appropriately or asking a money register to guess it for you — and 2021 certain was a superb yr to be in it to win it.
The yr witnessed three of the ten greatest lottery jackpots in historical past:
- $731.1 million Powerball on Jan. 20
- $1.05 billion Mega Thousands and thousands on Jan. 22
- $699.8 million Powerball on Oct. 4
AMC Inventory
Essentially the most celebrated meme inventory of 2021 — and in historical past thus far — was GameStop. However it was “AMC inventory” that turned out to be the yr’s No. 2 most-searched phrase in Google’s complete information class. AMC made headlines when Reddit customers launched a GameStop-inspired quick squeeze to launch the inventory to beneficial properties of two,500% within the first half of the yr.
The second half of the yr, nonetheless, was not so form. The honeymoon was over by the winter and by mid-December, AMC was down greater than 60% from its springtime highs. Buyers appear to be jettisoning dangerous meme shares, usually, in line with CNBC, as 2021 winds down — GameStop has had a brutal winter, as effectively.
Test Out: Crypto, Meme Stocks and Other Top Investing Trends in 2021
Stimulus Test
In contrast to Reddit-darling meme shares and Mega Thousands and thousands jackpots, the No. 3 most searched monetary time period of the yr was concerning the one factor that made nearly everybody a bit of richer in 2021 — “stimulus test.”
The centerpiece of the Biden administration’s American Rescue Plan, the checks started arriving in March and gave $1,400 to most Individuals — $2,800 for {couples} submitting collectively — together with one other $1,400 for every qualifying dependent.
Maintain Studying: Stimulus Checks Totaled Over $850 Billion: See How That Money Was Spread Out
GME Inventory
The No. 5 most-searched information story of the yr — “Georgia Senate election” was No. 4 — provides one more meme inventory to the checklist. “GME inventory” references the ticker image for GameStop, the online game retail chain that made headlines and historical past at the start of the yr when novice day merchants on Reddit efficiently squeezed a brief play by a few of Wall Avenue’s strongest tycoons.
The transfer revealed the facility of democratized investing in a world the place even the smallest buyers might commerce free of charge with out paying charges or dealer commissions. The second captivated the eye of the general public — which, after all, loves an underdog — rattled the boldness of the monetary trade and made numerous GameStop buyers wealthy.
The meme inventory craze proved to be fickle, nonetheless, and the yr closed with a painful selloff that despatched each GameStock and AMC cratering by about 30% in December alone.
See: The Biggest Problems Facing Social Security
Dogecoin
A $1,000 funding in Dogecoin on Jan. 1 would have become greater than $121,000 throughout its springtime peak, in line with CNBC, because of a 12,000% achieve between January and Might. The world’s first meme coin, Dogecoin roared to crypto-superstardom early within the yr, largely on the again of big-time celeb endorsements from the likes of Snoop Dogg, Gene Simmons, Mark Cuban and — most notably and most persistently — Elon Musk.
The title of the coin, which began as a joke in 2013, was the No. 6 most-searched key phrase throughout all the information class in 2021.
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How To Begin a Enterprise
Though it’s not precisely a monetary time period or a information story, one Google search development spoke extra loudly than all the remaining. Within the yr of the facet hustle, it ought to be no shock that individuals have been extra focused on changing into entrepreneurs than staff. In 2021, extra individuals searched “how one can begin a enterprise” than “how one can get a job” — though it’s additionally true that searches for “job interview” topped pre-pandemic ranges.
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