All of the World’s Money and Markets in One Visualization
In the current economic circumstances, there are some pretty large numbers being thrown around by both governments and the financial media.
The U.S. budget deficit this year, for example, is projected to hit $3.8 trillion, which would be more than double the previous record set during the financial crisis ($1.41 trillion in FY2009). Meanwhile, the Fed has announced “open-ended” asset-buying programs to support the economy, which will add even more to its current $7 trillion balance sheet.
Given the scale of these new numbers—how can we relate them back to the more conventional numbers and figures that we may be more familiar with?
Introducing the $100 Billion Square
In the above data visualization, we even the playing field by using a common denominator to put the world’s money and markets all on the same scale and canvas.
Each black square on the chart is worth $100 billion, and is not a number to be trifled with:
In fact, the entire annual GDP of Cuba could fit in one square ($97 billion), and the Greek economy would be roughly two squares ($203 billion).
Alternatively, if you’re contrasting this unit to numbers found within Corporate America, there are useful comparisons there as well. For example, the annual revenues of Wells Fargo ($103.9 billion) would just exceed one square, while Facebook’s would squeeze in with room to spare ($70.7 billion).
Billions, Trillions, or Quadrillions?
Here’s our full list, which sums up all of the world’s money and markets, from the smallest to the biggest, along with sources used:
| Category | Value ($ Billions, USD) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Silver | $44 | World Silver Survey 2019 |
| Cryptocurrencies | $244 | CoinMarketCap |
| Global Military Spending | $1,782 | World Bank |
| U.S. Federal Deficit (FY 2020) | $3,800 | U.S. CBO (Projected, as of April 2020) |
| Coins & Bank Notes | $6,662 | BIS |
| Fed's Balance Sheet | $7,037 | U.S. Federal Reserve |
| The World's Billionaires | $8,000 | Forbes |
| Gold | $10,891 | World Gold Council (2020) |
| The Fortune 500 | $22,600 | Fortune 500 (2019 list) |
| Stock Markets | $89,475 | WFE (April 2020) |
| Narrow Money Supply | $35,183 | CIA Factbook |
| Broad Money Supply | $95,698 | CIA Factbook |
| Global Debt | $252,600 | IIF Debt Monitor |
| Global Real Estate | $280,600 | Savills Global Research (2018 est.) |
| Global Wealth | $360,603 | Credit Suisse |
| Derivatives (Market Value) | $11,600 | BIS (Dec 2019) |
| Derivatives (Notional Value) | $558,500 | BIS (Dec 2019) |
| Derivatives (Notional Value - High end) | $1,000,000 | Various sources (Unofficial) |
Derivatives top the list, estimated at $1 quadrillion or more in notional value according to a variety of unofficial sources.
However, it’s worth mentioning that because of their non-tangible nature, the value of financial derivatives are measured in two very different ways. Notional value represents the position or obligation of the contract (i.e. a call to buy 100 shares at the price of $50 per share), while gross market value measures the price of the derivative security itself (i.e. $1.00 per call option, multiplied by 100 shares).
It’s a subtle difference that manifests itself in a big way numerically.
Correction: Graphic updated to reflect the average value of an NBA team.
Markets
Ranked: Magnificent Seven Stock Returns in 2025
As AI competition intensifies, performance across the Magnificent Seven stocks has sharply diverged in 2025.
Published
2 days ago
on
December 31, 2025
Ranked: The Performance of Magnificent Seven Stocks in 2025
See visuals like this from many other data creators on our Voronoi app. Download it for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.
Key Takeaways
- Magnificent Seven stocks are up 27.5% year-to-date as of December 23.
- Alphabet is the best-performing stock among the pack, driven by a 47% share price gain in the fourth quarter.
Performance across the Magnificent Seven stocks showed a clear divergence in 2025.
This year, Google-parent Alphabet has surged above the rest thanks to optimism surrounding its in-house TPU chips and AI tools. In contrast, Amazon posted only single-digit gains amid slowing growth in its cloud computing business over the year.
This graphic shows the performance of Magnificent Seven stocks in 2025, based on data from TradingView.
A Closer Look at the Magnificent Seven Stocks in 2025
As of December 23, Magnificent Seven stocks averaged 27.5% returns in 2025, continuing to outpace the S&P 500 index by a sizable margin:
| Company/ Index | 2025 YTD Returns |
|---|---|
| Alphabet | 65.8% |
| Nvidia | 40.9% |
| Tesla | 20.2% |
| Microsoft | 15.5% |
| Meta | 13.6% |
| Apple | 8.8% |
| Amazon | 5.8% |
| S&P 500 (market cap weighted) | 17.5% |
| Magnificent Seven Average | 27.5% |
With 65.8% returns, Alphabet, the world’s most profitable company, surged past Nvidia this year.
Back in 2015, Alphabet began developing Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), designed for AI model training and inferencing. But in recent months, it announced it would begin selling these chips, sending its share price soaring.
Not only is Meta in talks with Alphabet to buy its chips, the company signed a deal with Anthropic PBC to supply tens of thousands of chips to the AI firm.
Nvidia follows with a 40.9% return, well below its 171% gain in 2024 and the 239% surge the year before. Despite doubling revenue year over year, the company is facing intensifying competition from Alphabet, AMD, and Broadcom.
Meanwhile, Apple posted just 8.8% returns. This year, several high-level executives have left the company for other Big Tech firms amid a lackluster AI rollout. Among them is Jony Ive, a key builder of the iPhone, who went to OpenAI in a $6.5 billion pay package.
Learn More on the Voronoi App 
To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic on the returns of global stock markets in 2025.
Markets
Ranked: Top U.S. Industries by Investment Share (1949–2025)
This visualization shows the top five U.S. industries by share of total investment at key historical peaks.
Published
4 days ago
on
December 29, 2025
Ranked: Top U.S. Industries by Investment Share (1949–2025)
See visuals like this from many other data creators on our Voronoi app. Download it for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.
Key Takeaways
- The industries attracting the most investment in the U.S. have shifted dramatically over time, from farming and railroads to technology and data.
- Today’s leading sector, information and data processing, commands a smaller share of total investment than past dominant industries.
Investment has long been a driving force behind U.S. economic growth, but the sectors attracting the most capital have changed with each era. From agriculture and electrification in the mid-20th century to telecommunications, real estate, and now digital infrastructure, investment trends reflect broader shifts in technology, consumer demand, and policy.
This visualization shows the top five U.S. industries by share of total investment at key historical peaks, spanning 1949 to 2025. The data for this visualization comes from Vanguard, using calculations based on Bureau of Economic Analysis data as of October 31, 2025. The figures exclude residential investment.
Postwar America: Farming, Power, and Railroads
In 1949, U.S. investment was concentrated in industries that supported a rapidly expanding, industrializing economy.
Farming led with a 12% share of total investment, reflecting the sector’s central role in employment and production. Electric power and railroads followed closely, underscoring the importance of nationwide infrastructure as the U.S. rebuilt and modernized after World War II. Telecommunications and oil and gas rounded out the top five.
| Era | Rank | Industry | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | 1 | Farming | 12% |
| 2 | Electric power | 7% | |
| 3 | Railroads | 6% | |
| 4 | Telecommunications | 6% | |
| 5 | Oil and gas | 5% | |
| 1982 | 1 | Oil and gas | 11% |
| 2 | Telecommunications | 8% | |
| 3 | Real estate | 6% | |
| 4 | Electric power | 5% | |
| 5 | Banking | 4% | |
| 2000 | 1 | Telecommunications | 11% |
| 2 | Real estate | 7% | |
| 3 | Computers and electronics | 6% | |
| 4 | Banking | 6% | |
| 5 | Electric power | 4% | |
| 2025 | 1 | Information and data processing | 7% |
| 2 | Electric power | 6% | |
| 3 | Chemical products | 5% | |
| 4 | Real estate | 5% | |
| 5 | Miscellaneous | 5% |
The 1980s and 2000s: Energy, Communication, and Finance
By 1982, investment leadership had shifted toward oil and gas, which accounted for 11% of total investment. Telecommunications and real estate also gained prominence, alongside banking and electric power.
In 2000, at the height of the dot-com era, telecommunications topped the list, while computers and electronics emerged as a major investment destination. Real estate and banking also featured prominently.
2025: Technology Dominates, but Less Concentrated
Today, information and data processing leads U.S. investment with a 7% share—making it the top industry, but with far less dominance than historical leaders. Electric power, chemical products, and real estate follow closely, each capturing around 5–6% of total investment.
This lower concentration suggests a more diversified investment landscape, where capital is spread across a wider range of industries rather than clustered in a single dominant sector.
Learn More on the Voronoi App
If you enjoyed today’s post, check out America’s $38 Trillion Mountain of Debt on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.