Is 1995 a Record for Records?
When it comes to setting business records, 1995 was one for the books. Topping the list are the greatest number of corporate mergers, the greatest number of record highs on Wall Street and the longest U.S. government shutdown. A sampling:
Value of mergers and acquisitions
Previous record: $347.50 billion (1994)
1995 (as of 12/27): $466.34 billion
Number of mergers and acquisitions
Previous record: 7,568 (1994)
1995 (as of 12/27): 8,773
Number of record highs of the Dow Jones industrial average
Previous record: 65 (1925)
1995 (as of 12/27): 69
New York Stock Exchange average daily share trading volume
Previous record: 291 million (1994)
1995 (as of 12/27): 347 million
Name changes by NYSE-listed companies
Previous record: 54 (1994)
1995 (as of 12/27): 60
Biggest U.S. bank
Previous record: Citicorp’s, $257 billion in assets
1995 (as of 12/27): Chemical-Chase (planned), $297 billion in assets
U.S. government shutdown
Previous record: 3 days (1989)
1995 (as of 12/27): 11 days and counting
Source: Associated Press