Money Fact

For most of us, we hate Mondays. But for Wall Street this year, it may have been their favourite day of the week.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did you know that postage stamps were once used as money over in the US?  Well, during the Civil War, there was a shortage of coins. Paper tickets and bills were often substituted as small change, but the scarcity was so severe, it led the Congress to authorise the issuance of stamps as a temporary “Fractional Currency.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did you know sea shells were once commonly used as money in many parts of the world? Seashells were used as money across the world well into the 20th century, from West Africa to California.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we think of the shape of coins, we typically think of round, disc-like shapes.  But did you know that not all coins are round? Here are some of the weirdest shaped coins that you probably didn't know existed.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did you know someone put the whole of New Zealand up for sale on eBay? The starting bid price? A mere 1 Australian cent. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did you know you can track where a US dollar bill came from before you got ahold of it? Through a website called WheresGeorge.com, consumers can track their physical dollar bills and even find out where it went after the bills left their wallets. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The stock market is a place where investors can buy and sell stocks, shares in publicly traded companies, among other securities. But do you know how old the stock market is? Or when the idea of the stock market came about? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Imagine losing millions of dollars in the trash. That's what happened to James Howells, a cryptocurrency miner, when he accidentally threw away a hard drive containing 8,000 Bitcoins back in 2013. A decade later, he's still in search of his stash. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did you know October is historically the most volatile month? It can be a spooky month for investors. I mean if you thought September’s volatility was bad, just wait until October. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Going once, going twice, SOLD! That’s the iconic phrase we hear at an auction. But did you know, in olden day England, a single candle was used instead?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did you know the world’s first Gold ATM was launched in Abu Dhabi? The machine spews out 24-carat gold bars as well as gold coins from around the world. In fact, the ATM itself is also made up of gold! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever dreamed of owning a private island? Well if you have, you may just be in luck. Because, your own private paradise might be more in reach than you think. And you don’t have to be a billionaire. Here are some cheapest islands on the market.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Can you tell the difference between a regular penny and a special 1943 one that could be worth millions of dollars? Here are some of the world’s most valuable coins.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As an employee, our favourite time of the month is of course pay day. When our salary is in, it's time to celebrate. But have you ever wondered where the term “salary" comes from?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Japanese bills have a much shorter lifespan compared to that of other countries. In fact, the 5,000 yen and 1,000 yen bills have a lifespan of about 1 to 2 years. But do you know what happens to them after? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When you look at coins, have you ever noticed the ridges on the edge of the coins? And have you ever wondered why there are those grooves on the coins? There's actually a special reason for that. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After World War I, in 1923, hyperinflation wreaked havoc in Germany, and as a result, its currency lost almost all of its value. The German Mark fell so much that Germans used it to decorate their home walls. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever wondered what the most expensive man-made object is? It might be the obvious choice to guess the Burj Khalifa or the Taj Mahal, but the most expensive man-made thing in the world, surprisingly, doesn't even exist on Earth. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you heard of the Parcel Post Bank? Well it’s a nickname for Zion's First National Bank, originally, the Bank of Vernal, located in the city of Vernal in Utah. And it got its nickname because of how the bank was built. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s widely known that the first banknotes originated in China - but did you know they were known as “Flying Money”? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Millions of Taylor Swift’s fans in Southeast Asia competing for about 330,000 seats, with Singapore being her only stop in the region in her latest Eras Tour. So approximately how much did Taylor Swift make from her ticket sales for her six shows in March? Credits: Taylor Swift - Anti-Hero (Official Music Video) - @TaylorSwift YouTubeTaylor Swift - The Great War (Official Lyric Video) - @TaylorSwift YouTubeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wall Street today is a canyon of tall buildings in New York’s historic Financial District. It's not only one of the most famous streets in the United States, but also serves as the heart of the American financial industry. But have you ever wondered how Wall Street got its name? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A man was accidentally charged 23 quadrillion dollars because of a technical glitch with the bank's debit card payment processing. But since he didn’t have the 23 quadrillion dollars in his account, he was also charged a $15 overdraft fee!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The London Stock Exchange, established in 1801, was an important centre for financial trading in the 19th century. But did you know that under the exchange's first rulebook, setting off fireworks and playing football were once strictly forbidden on the premises of the London Stock Exchange. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did you know that some investors use the Super Bowl to predict the direction of the stock market? It’s called the Super Bowl Indicator. And this theory suggests that the stock market will have a positive year if the team in the National Football Conference, or a team with an NFC origin, wins. If the American Football Conference team wins, the market will fall for the year. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever wondered how long the longest bull run lasted? It began in the depths of the financial crisis in 2009 and lasted almost exactly 11 years, until the COVID-19 pandemic brought it to a close. It reached that milestone back in August 2018 - after hitting 3,453 days of fairly steady growth. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Budget Day in Singapore usually falls in February. But that wasn't always the case. In fact, the financial year, which is three months out of step with the calendar year, began only in April 1970. Before that, the Budget Speech was typically presented in December of the prior year.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Several women have appeared on US currencies. Some of you might know that the First Lady Martha Washington was the first woman to appear on circulated paper money in the United States. But did you know that the very first woman to appear on a US coin was not actually an American? She was a Spanish queen. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever wondered why we describe the stock market using the animals: the bull and the bear? The most plausible story for it comes from animal fights in California, more specifically the fight between the Grizzly Bear and the Spanish Fighting Bull. Just think about the way they attack! Bulls attack in an upward motion, while bears attack in a downward motion - perfectly describing the way the stock market moves.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if our coins have characters of Pikachu, Luke Skywalker from Star Wars, or even Disney's Cinderella embossed on them? Well that's a reality in the Polynesian island of Niue. The island holds the most appealing currency for all cartoon lovers around the globe, with so many different character-themed coins as its legal tender.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did you know that airports in the United States collect tens of thousands of dollars worth of loose change from travellers who leave them behind at security screenings every year? In fact, before the COVID-19 pandemic, the total amount of loose change scooped up by TSA officials in 2019 was an impressive $926,030.44.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stock markets tend to jump in value during the last week of December and into the first two trading days of the new year. This phenomenon is called the Santa Claus Rally. And it’s happened nearly 80% of the time for the S&P 500 since 1928. Will we see one this year? Or have we been on Santa’s naughty list? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's no great surprise to find out that the most popular animal to feature on a banknote is the bird. But the king of them all, the mighty eagle, takes the top seat, featuring on more than 40 different currencies around the world.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It turns out Singapore has a $10,000 note. While the Monetary Authority of Singapore has stopped printing these notes back in 2014, it’s actually the world’s second most valuable note, right after the American $10,000 note. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did you know there’s a limit to the number of coins you can use in a single transaction? You can only use up to only 20 coins per denomination per transaction in Singapore. So you can only pay someone up to $37, if you’re looking to pay them all in coins. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the largest cryptocurrency hacks was back in March 2022, when hackers targeted the network that supports the popular Axie Infinity blockchain gaming platform through an elaborate phishing scheme involving fake LinkedIn job offers. Hackers made off with around $625 million worth of Ether and the USDC stablecoin.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are over three million ATMs around the world. But did you know there is one as far away as Antarctica? Well, there are two! They're considered as the world's loneliest ATMs, located in McMurdo State.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s been named as the world’s smallest note by the Guiness Book of World Records. The Romania 10 bani note is the smallest banknote ever issued. It measured 27.5 mm by 38 mm. That's about one tenth the size of a US$1 banknote.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.