20+ Incredible Stock Market Statistics (2022)

Interesting Stock Market Statistics

After the massive drop caused by the pandemic, the stock market experienced steady growth in the previous few months. This growth was especially evident in November when the US-election projections foresaw a Biden victory, and the promise of a COVID-19 vaccine injected a healthy dose of optimism into the stock market, bringing about a slight surge in value.

There are 19 stock exchanges in the world with a market capitalization of more than $1 trillion.

(TradingHours. com; The Wall Street Journal)

In 2020, two US companies, Alphabet and Amazon, joined this elusive $1 trillion club, although they both dropped back out before the market closed.

Middle-class households have lost more than half of household equity holdings since 1989.

(A Wealth of Common Sense)

One of the more worrying current stock market statistics is the ever-growing class gap. In 1989, middle-class citizens owned 15% of all household equity holdings, while in 2016, they held just over 5%.

Contrast this with the fact that the top 0. 1% wealthiest US citizens’ equity holdings rose about 5% in the same period, and the true danger inequality presents to the US market becomes crystal clear.

About 10% of US households hold international equity.

(Guggenheim Investments; Spence)

Stock market crash statistics pulled from historical data show that the most commonly experienced market declines are the easiest to recover from, especially when compared to bigger pullbacks. A drop of 10-20% usually takes four months of recovery, while a 20-40% decline takes 15 months.

The most significant market drops we’ve experienced were drops of more than 40%, which last for an average of 22 months but take about 58 months to recover from, making them potentially catastrophic.

When it comes to full-blown stock market crashes, like the one in 2008, the average recovery time is 151 months (13 years).

The current US bull market is ten years old and counting.

To better illustrate how incredible this is, just take a look at stock market statistics of historical data. Bull markets have, on average, lasted for about 4. 5 years each. Therefore, the current boom is twice as long as the average, but also the longest in American history.

What makes this bull market unusual is not that it happened after a recession, which was expected, but that it maintains slow-but-steady growth.

This was made possible by record-low interest rates and record-high corporate profits, mostly from the rising tech industry. Companies like Apple, Google, and Amazon are now the most valuable corporations in the world, and their rise to join Microsoft at the top has helped the market quadruple its capitalization since the worst days of the financial crisis.

In March 2020, the 10-year bull streak came to an abrupt end due to the pandemic but continued only 33 days later. Whether this represents a continuation of the previous bull market run or a beginning of a new one is up to debate.

In 2018, the United States represented 40. 01% of global market capitalization. In 2020, this figure rose to 54.

(Seeking Alpha; Statista)

China is the country that took the biggest hit since the 2016 American presidential election. On election day, the US made up 36. 53% of the world market cap compared to China’s 10. 21%. A sudden drop pushed China back into its current fourth place on the list, behind Japan and the UK, as the stock market graph below shows. France is fifth with 3. 2%, and Switzerland holds sixth place with 2.

On average, stock market corrections happen once every two years.

A stock-market correction is a market decline of more than 10% but less than 20%. These sorts of drops are significant but just below the threshold for starting a bear market. They used to happen about once a year at the beginning of the century, but market corrections have become less frequent after World War II.

Since the beginning of 1980, there have been 13 corrections in the S&P 500. The average length is 92 days, with an average 14. 8% decline in stock market value percentage. In the same period, declines have surpassed 20% only five times.

Valued at $2. 25 trillion, Apple leads the world’s corporations in market capitalization.

As the American technology sector exploded after the global recession, Microsoft’s primacy was challenged by two new rivals for the honor of being the most valued company in the world. For years, it’s been in a close race against Google and Apple; Amazon has recently joined the fight, too.

In August 2020, Apple became the first publicly traded US company to reach the $2 trillion global equity market capitalization milestone. Interestingly, Apple was also the first US company to cross the $1 trillion mark, and then double its value in the span of two years.

More than 80% of the stock market is now automated.

Automation is taking over many industries, and stock markets are certainly not immune to the appeal and advantages of machine-run algorithm trading. That is why stock market statistics show that machines already do the vast majority of US trades.

Computers use advanced mathematical models to make high-speed online trading decisions, creating a market that is more focused on short-term movements and sell-offs than on long-term outlook, to the dismay of many analysts and investors.

(Siblis Research; Fortuna Advisors; S&P Dow Jones Indices)

Corrections are least likely in the third year of a presidential term.

(Yardeni Research; The Balance)

Stock market statistics by year recorded from the past two centuries show that average S&P 500 returns are the highest right after midterms and in the third year of a president’s term. This has become known as the “Presidential Cycle Theory” of stock returns.

Historically, the average S&P 500 returns for each year of a presidential term go from 5. 2% in the first year, 4. 8% in the second year, 12. 8% in the third year, and 5. 7% in the fourth year.

This data can be attributed to the power of uncertainty: Uncertainty causes poor stock performance leading up to the midterm elections, and investors are more cautious as a result.

After the midterms, investors begin to ease back into the market, knowing that there will be at least two more years of political stability before the next election, and stocks start performing better.

Fascinating Facts About the Stock Market

The September Effect is one of the most fascinating phenomena of the financial world. Both the Dow Jones and the S&P 500 have averaged a slight decline each September since 1950. Since Nasdaq started operating in 1971, its composite index has also slightly decreased during this month of the year.

What makes stock market facts like this one so interesting is that such occurrences were never related to market events and news and kept happening in stock markets across the globe.

The September Effect has begun to dissipate in recent years, and large market declines in September are not happening as much as they did before 1990. One of the explanations for this is that investors have started selling their stocks in August as preparation for the September Effect.

Since 1903, every day at the New York Stock Exchange starts with the ringing of a bell at 9:30 a.

And while this is undoubtedly one of the more interesting facts about the stock market, it has also become an iconic and famous event. The opening bell has become one of the most-watched daily events in the world.

The ceremony itself was not that publicized or popular before President Ronald Reagan asked to ring the bell in 1985 during his reelection campaign.

Ever since then, the NYSE opening bell has been a magnet for celebrities, sports stars, and leaders of the world’s biggest corporations. It is now considered a prestigious honor and an excellent platform for visibility in the internet and social media age.

The most expensive stock in the world is Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway.

It is only the rarest investment statistics that most professionals agree on. One of them is that Warren Buffet is probably the greatest investor of all time. It seems fitting that the most expensive stock in the world belongs to his firm, Berkshire Hathaway.

This corporate colossus owns some of America’s best-known companies, brands like Dairy Queen, Geico, and Duracell. It also has huge stakes in giant companies like Coca Cola and American Express.

Established in 1602, the Amsterdam Stock Exchange was the first in the world.

(Columbia University Press)

There are some strange tidbits among stock market fun facts, and this is one of them. Belgium, Venice, and others traded in loans and debt, but no official stock exchange existed before 1602. It was only then, in the small town of Amsterdam, that the first stock exchange was established.

This historic decision was made possible by the creation of the first multinational corporation ever, the Dutch East India Company. This was the first company that issued stocks and one of the wealthiest and most powerful corporate entities that ever existed. It came about due to fierce European competition for supremacy in trade with Asia, and it transformed the Dutch nation forever.

Changes in stock prices were expressed as fractions until the year 2000.

Before the Securities and Exchange Commission ordered all stock markets in the United States to convert to decimal quotes by April 9, 2001, market price quotes were based on fractional quoting.

For instance, the minimum spread was 1/16 of a dollar, or $0. 0625. After decimalization, the minimum spread was set to $0. 01 for stocks over $1 and $0. 0001 for stocks under $1.

Decimalization made a cumbersome and outdated system much more understandable to investors. It also positively affected stock market performance by making trading more efficient and better organized, which was necessary for the US to keep up with the international competition.

Before 2001, the London Stock Exchange and the Paris Bourse were ahead of American stock markets, pushing Congress to enact the law and implement decimalization, which ended a tradition that can be traced to the 17th century.

(Market Watch; interactive investor; The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade)

During the past century, Australia posted 7. 5% after-inflation returns per year, which are the highest among the world’s 19 major markets. The country also placed second-lowest in volatility, proving how stable and prosperous this period has been. In comparison, US stocks generated a 6. 2% return in the same span.

Australia’s excellent performance is even more pronounced with the recent rise of China. The Asian giant is the biggest Australian trade partner in terms of both imports and exports, while Australia is China’s sixth-largest trading partner.

Australia has an incredible amount of valuable metals, coal, oil, and natural gas, and it is one of the world’s biggest exporters of beef.

The mining sector is so crucial for Australia that two of the biggest Australian stocks in the Standard & Poor’s ASX 200 index are miners BHP and Rio Tinto. In 2020, the best-performing market was South Korea, with a price return of 37.

Women first worked on the New York Stock Exchange in 1943 due to a shortage of male workers during World War II.

(CR Fashion Book)

For the first half of the 20th century, the NYSE was open exclusively to men, same as the older building that housed the exchange from 1792 to 1903. But the exchange was left short of clerks and runners during World War II.

Women were banned again until 1965 when Muriel «Mickie» Siebert bought a seat on the exchange and became the “First Lady of Wall Street. ” For the next decade, Siebert was the only woman working at the NYSE, earning herself recognition and having a room on the seventh floor named in her honor.

Key Takeaways

Stock market stats clearly mirror the stability and prosperity of our interconnected world. The Global Recession proved to everyone how fragile and damaging a significant market retraction can be, amplifying the need to avoid such drops in the future.

Today’s record bull market may be prolonged further than anyone could have predicted, and we may not see a recession for many years. However things play out in the near future, there is one thing that stock market statistics make quite clear: More exciting and perhaps frightening changes await us all.

From technological disruptions to the ever-shifting face of the modern world economy, there is plenty to be hopeful and cautious about as we enter the third decade of the century.

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NFT Statistics

Discussions about the most expensive NFT sold until now are often surrounded by controversy. Some argue that the Beeple’s Everyday artwork, which sold for around $69 million is one of the most expensive pieces in the world. However, an NFT apparently sold for $532 million in October 2021.

The NFT in question was a CryptoPunk, which was purchased using money borrowed via a “flash loan” (a kind of smart contract loan). The complexity of the NFT transaction means many people argue the sale wasn’t actually a legitimate one.

Pak Sold 250,000 NFTs for $91. 8 million

While some people argue the Beeple art piece is the most expensive NFT ever sold, others say it was the collection of 250,000 NFTs sold by Pak (An anonymous artist) for $91. 8 billion. The collection of pieces was sold on the Nifty Gateway and was named the largest ever art sale made by a living creator.

Notably, the selection of art pieces didn’t go to a single collector. In total, around 26,000 collectors got involved purchasing products from the brand.

Most NFT Sales are Under $200

The research revealed a majority of sales actually come out at under $200. This means for now; it’s still possible for a lot of collectors to get involved with the NFT environment. It also means artists considering selling their work on the exchanges may need to reconsider what they think about pricing.

Minting and Selling NFTs Costs Around $100

While the average price you sell an NFT for may only come in at around $200, you may also need to pay around half of this to have the artwork minted and get sold. The average cost usually ranges around $70 to $120, but some people pay thousands.

NFT Sales Grew 131 Times from 2020 Q1 to 2021 Q1

According to NonFungible. com, the number of sales happening in the NFT world is astronomical at present. The market had an incredible 13118% growth between the first quarter of 2020 and the first quarter of 2021. This highlights a rapid increase in the number of buyers and sellers.

At present, it’s difficult to know for certain how many people are buying and selling NFTs, simply because it’s difficult to track all of the wallets online.

We do know, however, NFT trading volume added up to around $11 billion in quarter 3 of 2020, before rising to $25 billion by the fourth quarter.

Most NFT Collectors haven’t recouped the costs of purchases

According to the Financial Times, the majority of new NFT collectors have yet to recoup the cost of their investment. Many investors are still figuring out how to use their NFT purchases correctly. This usually means it might take a little longer to figure out the best opportunity to sell.

The uncertainty surrounding NFTs is why a large number of buyers choose to purchase “collectible” products they feel they have a personal connection to.

Cryptopunk NFTs are some of the biggest sellers

Various sources, including Wikipedia, list the top most expensive sales for NFTs over the last couple of years, highlighting everything from The Merge, to Beeple Everyday. The series of NFTs best-known as CryptoPunks was created by Larva labs and is currently responsible for 5 of the top 20 biggest NFT sales of all time.

The second most expensive NFT sale to date was a Cryptopunk NFT which sold for approximately $11. 8 million. As one of the initial examples of NFTs, the Cryptopunk landscape is widely regarded to be extremely valuable.

NFT Statistics in 2022

At the same time, the rise of NFTs is also leading to an increase in the number of methods people have for getting involved with these kinds of assets. Recently, companies have begun exploring opportunities to split NFTs up into fragments, so everyone can own a “piece” of art, internet, or gaming history, rather than purchasing a full asset.

There’s no doubt we’ll continue to see new and exciting NFT statistics in the years ahead!

Want to Learn More?

• Insights: The Ultimate List of Cryptocurrency Statistics
• Insights: The Ultimate List of Cybersecurity Statistics
• Picks: Best Cryptocurrency Exchanges
• Picks: Best Crypto Tax Software

Sources

OpenSea is ancient by NFT standards, having launched in 2017, and it’s also among the largest NFT marketplaces active today. It hosts many popular NFTs, including art, music, photography, trading cards and virtual worlds.

The core cryptocurrencies used on OpenSea are Ethereum, Solana, and USDC, and payment options feature other cryptos. Just note that you can’t use fiat currencies like U. dollars or euros.

For costs, OpenSea charges a fee equal to 2. 5% of every transaction. You must also pay the gas fee for completing NFT transactions with Ethereum. Gas fees are the transaction fees paid to miners.

If you’re looking to avoid the gas fee, you can buy and sell NFTs with Polygon. But you’ll need to ensure that the NFT item of interest displays the Polygon logo.

In short, OpenSea is a solid choice for beginners looking to get started with a straightforward marketplace and who want as many options as possible for NFTs.

Rarible

Rarible charges a flat 2. 5% fee on every transaction, plus any gas fees. One nice feature is you can buy NFTs using a credit card, allowing transactions in fiat currencies.

An interesting aspect of Rarible: Rather than having in-house management decide everything, Rarible created its own native token called RARI. The holders of RARI get to vote on company decisions like company policy changes.

In 2021, Rarible announced a partnership with Adobe to make it easier to verify and protect the metadata for digital content, including NFTs.

NBA Top Shot

If you’re a major basketball fan, the NBA Top Shot marketplace lets you buy NFTs of great moments in basketball history.

You can buy video clips, play highlights and art for both the NBA and the WNBA. But some of these Moments aren’t cheap. A LeBron James slam dunk video fetched $208,000 in February 2021.

The NBA built and manages this NFT marketplace, and they have exclusive rights to these video clips. Plus, you know you’re dealing with a large, reputable organization.

The NBA Top Shot marketplace is one example of major companies getting on this trend. Others include the DraftKings Marketplace and the Associated Press’ NFT marketplace. Even GameStop plans to launch an NFT marketplace this year.

Binance

Binance, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges, added an NFT marketplace in 2021. The international crypto exchange is one of many other industry players entering the NFT sector, like Crypto. com NFT, which describes itself as a highly-curated NFP marketplace.

Binance NFT offers the typical digital assets found on other major platforms: artwork, gaming items, and collectibles.

Nifty Gateway

Nifty Gateway is known for hosting expensive and exclusive NFT sales, including digital artist Pak’s “The Merge,” which sold for $91. 8 million. It made headlines when the platform was acquired in late 2019 by Gemini, which is run by the Winklevoss twins, Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss.

This marketplace focuses on artwork, especially artwork from celebrities and top artists. To boost demand, Nifty Gateway uses an “open editions” system. When a new type of NFT comes out, you can only buy editions for just a limited time.

This marketplace does allow you to make purchases with your credit card. Nifty Gateway could be the way to go if you’re looking to make a large investment in NFTs and want access to higher-end options.

SuperRare

SuperRare is a high-end NFT art marketplace that positions itself in the NFT ecosystem as an art gallery. This marketplace doesn’t accept “meme style” NFTs, and is highly selective with NFT submissions.

Given that SuperRare spends so much time reviewing work before it’s available for sale, investors can feel more confident in the quality. For their services, SuperRate charges 15% the first time an NFT is sold on the primary market. There is also a flat 3% of every transaction, which the buyer pays.

SuperRare could be a good choice for someone looking for high-end NFT artwork, especially pieces with a more classical style.

What Is a NFT Marketplace?

In exchange for a fee, the NFT marketplace will typically handle the transfer of an NFT from one party to the other.

How Do NFT Marketplaces Work?

When you create an account with an NFT marketplace, you can browse through all their available options for sale. You can also add a payment method, and some require you to link a crypto wallet to pay with crypto, while others allow you to use a credit card.

What Is Minting?

More and more, NFT marketplaces are becoming creative about how, when and to whom minting fees are charged.

What are Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs)?

In essence, NFTs are cryptographic digital assets with unique codes and metadata. The tokens are virtual representations of digital or tangible items and can represent virtually anything.

The “non-fungible” term means that these tokens are unique and can’t be replaced with something else. For instance, a one-of-a-kind baseball card is non-tangible and cannot be replaced or traded for the same thing. Non-fungible tokens work similarly.

Since then, NFTs have grown increasingly popular and have been created for various things. However, most of the NFT market is currently focused on digital art and sports cards, although other highly-priced NFTs exist.

General NFT Statistics

The NFT market cap is worth more than $7 billion as of November3.

Millennials Like NFTs Most

Millennials are three times as likely as Gen Zers to buy and sell NFTs4.

First and Largest NFT Marketplace

OpenSea is the first and largest NFT marketplace with over $6. 5 billion in trading volume5.

NFT Sales Volume

NFT sales have grown 131 times from the first quarter of 2020 to the first quarter of 2021, which saw $2 billion in sales6.

Largest NFT Sale in History

The largest sale in NFT market history is Pak’s “The Merge. ” It sold on December 2nd, 2021, for 91. 8 million dollars, making it the most expensive NFT sold to date7.

Over 265,000 active wallets traded NFTs

Curious how many NFT buyers are out there? In February of 2021, the weekly active wallets rose above 10,000 for the first time since 2017. In March, the number hit 20,000.

However, since then, the weekly active wallets have leveled to between 8,000 and 12,000, triple the number of weekly active wallets in 20179.

NFT Trading Volume Eclipsed $10b in 3Q21

The trading volume of NFTs rose sharply during the third quarter of 2021 to $10. 67 billion, which is a 704% increase from the previous quarter10.

The First NFT Originated in 2014

The first known NFT was called “Quantum. ” It was created in May of 2014 by Kevin McCoy and Anil Dash and consisted of a video clip made by McCoy’s wife. It was sold to Dash for $4 during a live presentation at a conference11.

Most NFT Sales Come in Under $200

While NFTs can sell for a few dollars to millions, roughly 50% of all recorded sales are under $200, making the average price for most NFTs relatively low12.

Minting and Selling NFTs Comes in Around $100

The average cost of minting and selling an NFT is between $70 and $120 but can go into the thousands13.

Famous Shiba Inu “Doge” is the Most Expensive NFT Meme

The Shiba Inu named Kabosu, famously known as the “Doge” meme, is one of the most expensive NFT memes ever sold at 4 million dollars14.

An NFT Video Clip Sold for $1 million

One of the most expensive NFT video clips is a rotating gummy bear skeleton15. Called “Not Forgotten, but Gone,” this clip sold for $1 million this past year16.

NFT Sales Figures

NFT Sales in Sports

The biggest NFT marketplace for sports is Dapper Labs, which is the official marketplace for NBA and NFL non-fungible tokens.

Furthermore, one of the hottest NFT trends of the past year is NBA Top Shot, which features video clips of NBA players and their most iconic moments.

NBA Top Shot has already made north of $700 million.

The more expensive NFT in sports was the LeBron James Statue, which sold for $21. 6 million.

NFT Sales in Art

OpenSea is the leader in NFT sales and will be your best bet if you’re looking to buy NFTs6. Furthermore, the platform has an easy-to-use process for NFT creators looking to mint their own NFTs.

Especially for artists and creators looking to sell digital artwork online, OpenSea is going to be a great place to start.

Art is also one of the largest drivers of NFT sales, as digital art holds several of the top spots for the most expensive NFTs sold.

“Everydays: The First 5000 Days” sold for $69. 3 million, and “Human One” sold for $28. 9 million18. Several CryptoPunk artworks also sold for millions this past year.

NFT Sales in Music

With the rise in popularity of NFTs over the past few years, it was only a matter of time before NFT sales would expand into music.

In a world of streaming where revenue has taken a hit, artists are now making more than ever selling their music as NFTS.

For example, Eminem sold his first NFT collection in April for $1. 78 million19. Furthermore, the estate of late rapper XXXTentacion is planning to sell unreleased songs as NFTs19.

There was also an unreleased Whitney Houston demo track sold as an NFT and a piece of classical music sold as an NFT20.

NFT Sales in Social Media

Furthermore, NFT marketplaces utilize social media to advertise their offerings as well.

In short, social media is partly what has allowed NFTs to become so popular and marketable to the general public.

NFT Environmental Impact

As with other cryptocurrencies, each NFT minted does have some impact on the environment. For instance, Bitcoin mining uses enough energy to power 10 million homes a year.

How do NFTs Impact the Environment?

Although not as carbon-intensive as Bitcoin, Ethereum is currently estimated to consume 44. 94 terawatt-hours of electrical energy and release 21. 35 metric tons of carbon dioxide each year28.

The Average NFT Has a Carbon Footprint Similar to an Average Person in the European Union

Digital artist Memo Akten analyzed 18,000 NFTs and found the average carbon footprint similar to that of the average person living in the European Union28.

This large footprint is partly due to the many transactions involved with NFT minting, bidding, sales, and transfer of ownership. Overall, NFT emissions are estimated to be ten times higher than the average Ethereum transaction.

Ethereum is Planning a Shift to Lessen Environmental Impact

Hence, the shift to Ethereum 2. 0 should significantly reduce energy consumption28.

Related NFT Statistics Questions

However, there are some drawbacks to using Ethereum alternatives. For example, you may be limited in the NFTs you can sell and how you can sell them.

How do you prove ownership over an NFT?

NFTs can have only one owner at a time, and that ownership is managed through metadata and a unique identifier that other tokens cannot replicate.

Put simply, proving ownership over an NFT is similar to showing ownership of Ethereum. When you purchase a token, that token is transferred to your wallet and proves that the digital file is the original.

Thus, holding the private key to the wallet containing the NFT demonstrates proof of ownership.

Furthermore, the content creators’ public key remains part of the history of the non-fungible token and will show the transaction and transfer of ownership as well.

Where do you store NFTs?

NFTs are stored in the same way as cryptocurrency, and there are several options for storing them. From least secure to most secure, your storage options are a software wallet (soft wallet), InterPlanetary File System (IPFS), or a hardware wallet (hard wallet).

A soft wallet provides standard security for NFTs. All activity is encrypted and secured using your password. However, these wallets have been hacked and have the potential to be hacked in the future despite measures taken to protect them.

Lastly, hard wallets offer the most secure way to store NFTs. This is because the data is kept entirely offline and password protected. As a result, hackers have no way to access NFTs in hard wallets, and your data can be recovered if the wallet is lost or stolen with a recovery phrase.

Why are people collecting NFTs?

Collectors exist for almost everything. From sports cards to stamps to coins to dolls, and everything in between, people collect things for investment purposes, buy and sell, and simply for entertainment. In other words, people collect for a variety of reasons.

The same can be said for NFTs, which are digital versions of many of the tangible items people were already collecting. Thus, many people buy digital collectibles because they are interested in the particular NFTs they are collecting and wish to have them.

Some collect NFTs for investment purposes similar to that of collectible cards, rare coins, and fine art. In these cases, unique or more valuable NFTs are purchased to later sell and turn a profit.

Other investors may wish to purchase NFTs from up-and-coming artists in the hope that their collections will become more valuable.

How can you buy and sell NFTs?

The best place to buy and sell NFTs is on NFT marketplaces. Some of the most popular marketplaces include OpenSea, Larva Labs, NBA Top Shot, Rarible, Nifty Gateway, and Mintable.

Sources for NFT Statistics 2021 and 2022:

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The “Most Expensive” NFT Sold for $532 Million

In October 2021, a CryptoPunk sold for $532 million. Now, CryptoPunks are renowned for selling for millions of dollars in some cases. That’s not the issue. However, how it was bought has raised a few eyebrows. Basically, the person who bought this particular CryptoPunk (CryptoPunk #9998) bought it from herself/himself.

The CryptoPunk in question is one of 3,840 female punks. She has wild white hair, black lipstick, and green clown eyes. And, wait for it, she’s currently listed for sale again by the owner.

The Real Most Expensive NFT Sold for Nearly $92 Million

At the time of writing this article, the most expensive NFT ever to be sold is The Merge by Pak. It was sold for $91. 8 million on Nifty Gateway in December 2021.

While the sale was less shady than that of CryptoPunk #9998, the jury is still out on if this can count as a single artwork or rather a series of artworks. Instead of selling it to a single buyer, multiple buyers had the chance to buy any number of tokens. The price per unit started at $575 and increased by $25 every couple of hours. At the end, it was sold to nearly 30,000 buyers for a whopping $91. 8 million in total.

It wasn’t Pak’s only big sale in 2021. In April, The Fungible was released on Nifty Gateway by Sotheby’s and sold for nearly $17 million.

Previously (or still – you decide), the title of “The Most Expensive NFT Ever Sold” belonged to Everydays: The First 5000 Days by Beeple (formally known as Mike Winkelmann). It was sold in March 2021 for $69. 3 million. As a matter of fact, it was the first purely digital artwork ever to be offered by a major auction house. What’s more, the winning bidder, Vignesh Sundaresan (aka MetaKovan), added in an interview with CNBC that he was actually willing to bid even higher.

As the title suggests, it comprises 5,000 digital artworks and is a collage of his earlier work. So, you could probably claim that it’s good value for money.

Beeple’s First Physical Work Sold for Nearly $30 Million

November was a busy month for digital artwork. Not only was Pak’s The Merge sold for a record price, but Beeple (the digital artist who previously held the record for the most expensive NFT) sold his first physical artwork, HUMAN ONE, for $28. 9 million at Christie’s to Ryan Zurrer, founder of Dialectic. What makes it even more impressive is that it was estimated that it would be sold for “only” $15 million.

NFT Trading Volume Added Up to Nearly $11 Billion in Q3

The third quarter of 2021 was a massive quarter for NFT trading. According to DappRadar, an analytics platform, the trading volume for this period reached $10. 67 billion. This works out to an increase of more than 700% from the previous quarter. According to Statista, much of this success can likely be linked to Axie Infinity, a play-to-earn Vietnamese video game that became the most valuable NFT collection across the globe in August 2021.

During August alone, the trading volume surged over $5 billion making it a record-breaking month. While September didn’t reach the same volume, it still managed to account for $4+ billion.

People from China and Singapore Are the Most Interested in NFTs

According to Google searches, people from China and Singapore are currently the most interested in NFTs. Venezuela comes in at third spot. Somewhat surprisingly, the United States doesn’t even feature in the top 10 countries. This information was gathered by studying Google Trends for the past year.

The Most Expensive NFT Video Sold for Almost $7 million

Beeple created three of the 10 most expensive NFTs ever sold. Not only was his Everydays regarde as the most expensive NFT ever to be sold for quite some time in NFT terms, but his piece titled Crossroad is also the most expensive NFT video.

This short 10-second video sold on Nifty Gateway for $6. 6 million in February 2021. It depicts former US president Donald Trump flat on his stomach while passersby casually continue with the rest of their day. Interestingly enough, Beeple created it in such a way that the video would change depending on the result of the 2020 US presidential election.

The Most Expensive NFT Meme Sold for $4 Million

Doge, an image of a breed of hunting dog from Japan is one of the most famous memes. It’s also the most expensive NFT meme after it sold for about $4 million on Zora in June 2021. In September 2021, the new owner, PleasrDAO, announced that the Doge NFT will be split into 17 billion pieces. Initially, only 20% of the new tokens named $DOG will be auctioned off.

It’s not the first time that this meme’s journey to global comedy fame took a different turn. In 2013, the cryptocurrency Dogecoin was named after the meme.

Other well-known memes that were turned into NFTs include Disaster Girl, Overly Attached Girlfriend, Bad Luck Brian, and Nyan Cat. While not close to $4 million, Disaster Girl sold for over $573,000 at an auction.

The Majority of NFTs Sell for Less Than $200

While a number of NFTs have sold for millions of dollars in 2021 alone, the reality is that the average selling price is much less. According to research completed about primary sales by an artist, Kimberly Parker, and an anonymous data scientist, 53. 6% of NFTs that were sold on OpenSea in March 2021 were for less than $200. In fact, the duo found that more than a third of NFT sales during a seven-day period were for under $100. Only 2. 5% of the sales were for $600-$700.

Each Day 1000s of NFT Sales Are Made

According to data collected by NonFungible. com, NFT sales can currently range anywhere from 15,000 to 50,000 per week. Before a big boom in the latter part of 2017, there were merely 100 sales per week. So, this new number alone shows how much the NFT market has grown in just a couple of years.

NFT Sales Amount to Millions Per Week

For example, between the end of April and the end of May, the weekly volume traded increased from $50 million to almost $200 million. This works out to an increase of 300%!

The NFT Market Grew Almost Tenfold in Two Years

Data gathered by Statista shows that the market cap of non-fungible tokens enjoyed almost a tenfold increase between 2018 and 2020. What’s more, these numbers are still considered to be conservative as it’s rather challenging to collect data about such a new and volatile market. Needless to say, one thing is crystal clear — the NFT market is for sure growing rapidly.

NFT Sales Amounted to Over $2. 4 Billion in the First 6 Months of 2021

Data by DappRadar reveals that the sales for the first half of 2021 added up to $2. 47 billion. Though, NonFungible. com estimates this at only $1. 3 billion. Whichever data you look at, it’s still billions of dollars and a huge increase compared to the previous year. In 2020, the NFT sales for the same period added up to “only” about $250 million according to Cloudwards.

OpenSea’s Trading Volume Increased by 800+%

OpenSea, the biggest digital marketplace for crypto collectibles and NFTs across the globe, boasted more than $3 billion in trading volume in August 2021. What’s arguably more impressive is that it’s an increase of more than 800% compared to the previous month’s volumes.

Part of this spike can be attributed to the launch of the Mutant Apes collection by Bored Ape Yacht Club’s NFT project. After this launch, the daily trading volume on the marketplace reached an all-time high of over $320 million.

To put this into even more perspective, at the beginning of the year, OpenSea’s monthly sales for January 2021 added up to “just” $8 million, while in 2020 it completed about $20 million for the whole year.

Twitter Founder Sells the First Tweet via an NFT Marketplace

If you thought that NFTs are only for contemporary art sales, you would be very much mistaken. From sound effects to clips from sporting events, there are many different types of NFTs that are sold for millions. There’s even a market for tweets.

NBA’s Top Shots Has Already Made $700+ Million

The top sale to date is a highlight of LeBron James which sold for $230,000 at the end of August 2021. In fact, all top three sales to date feature LeBron James.

NFTs for Gaming Declined

While the overall NFTs sales in 2021 enjoyed a significant spike, the value of NFTs for gaming decreased. On the other hand, the value of NFTs for arts increased.

Though, it still doesn’t come close to the popularity that the Collectibles segment enjoyed in Q2 2021. According to NonFungible. com’s Non-fungible Tokens Quarterly Report Q2 2021, Collectibles was responsible for 66% of all the volume traded during this quarter.

This popularity can partly be attributed to CryptoPunks. For example, in 2021 alone, 6 of Larva Labs’ CryptoPunks sold for millions of dollars.

Kings of Leon Released an Album as an NFT

A lot of NFT milestones happened in March 2021. Another such first was when Kings of Leon released their new album, When You See Yourself, as an NFT to become the first band ever to explore this route. In fact, the band offered three types of NFTs as part of their “NFT Yourself” series. In addition to the special album package, they also released perks for their live shows as well as exclusive audiovisual art as two other types of tokens.

The band managed to generate more than $2 million by means of the NFT sales. More than $500,000 of the proceeds were donated to Live Nation’s Crew Nation fund to help live music crews during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Taco Bell Released 25 NFTs

In the middle of March 2021, 2,200 respondents were surveyed about their interest in collecting NFTs either as a hobby or an investment. The results revealed that e-sports fans were the most interested in collecting NFTs. Slightly over 20% stated that they were very interested, while 35% indicated that they were somewhat interested.

With regards to the age group, millennials were the most likely to invest in NFTs (23%). Only 2% of baby boomers indicated that they collected NFTs.

Men Are the Most Likely to Collect NFTs

The same survey found a significant difference between men and women too. According to its findings, 15% of the male respondents indicated that they collected NFTs. On the other hand, only 4% of the female respondents stated that they collected NFTs.

Wrapping Things Up

While the average NFT selling price might only be a few hundred dollars, it for sure remains a promising industry to keep your eye on (particularly if you’re into collectibles). Not only are 1000s of NFTs sold on a daily basis, but there’s a demand for a variety of different types. From the “more traditional” digital art to album cover to tweets to memes, nowadays basically anything can be turned into and sold as an NFT. Considering just how much this niche has evolved in the span of two years and the enormous growth it generated in 2021 alone, it will be interesting to see what the future holds for NFTs.

Frequently Asked Questions

There are a few NFT marketplaces that creators can use to sell their NFTs. Most of these platforms require buyers to have a digital wallet and use cryptocurrencies to pay for their purchase. You can, for instance, try OpenSea, Rarible, SuperRare, and Myth Market. These are regarded as some of the best NFT marketplaces for creators looking to sell NFTs.

What’s the most expensive NFT ever to be sold?

Currently, the most expensive NFT ever to be sold is a contentious issue. In October 2021, CryptoPunk #9998 sold for $532 million. However, the person who bought this particular NFT bought it from herself/himself. In December 2021, The Merge by Pak sold for $91. 8 million. Though, the jury is still out on if this can count as a single artwork or rather a series of artworks as it was sold to multiple buyers.

Who are some of the top NFT creators?

In 2021, some of the top-selling NFT creators were:Beeple (formally known as Mike Winkelmann)
Grimes
Maddogjones (formally known as Michah Dowbak)
Hackatao
Slimesunday (formally known as Mike Parisella)

NFT sales statistics

The most expensive NFT sold for $532 million

Discussions about the most expensive NFT sold until now are often surrounded by controversy. Some argue that Beeple’s Everyday artwork, sold for around $69 million, is the most expensive piece globally. However, an NFT sold for $532 million in October 2021.

The NFT in question was a CryptoPunk, purchased using money borrowed via a ‘flash loan’ (a smart contract loan that is instantly repaid). The complexity of the NFT transaction means many people argue that the sale wasn’t a legitimate one.

The artist Pak sold 250,000 NFTs for $91. 8 million

Whilst some people argue the Beeple art piece is the most expensive NFT ever sold (see above), others say it was the collection of 250,000 NFTs sold by Pak (an anonymous artist) for $91. 8 billion as part of The Merge. The pieces were sold on the Nifty Gateway and was named the living creator’s most prominent art sale.

Collectors were further incentivised with bonus mass that increased proportionally with the size of one’s final NFT. By the end of the sale, 26,000 collectors had become involved.

For artists, this means that they should reconsider what they think about pricing. Novice collectors can become involved with the NFT space whilst prices are in reach.

Whilst the average price you sell an NFT for may only come in at around $200; you may also need to pay around half of this to have the artwork minted and get sold. The average cost usually ranges from about $70 to $120, but some people spend upwards of thousands.

NFT sales grew 13,118% in 1 year!

According to NonFungible. com, the number of sales in the NFT world is astronomical. The market had an incredible 13,118% growth between the first quarter of 2020 and 2021. This highlights a rapid increase in the number of buyers and sellers.

At present, it isn’t easy to know for sure how many people are buying and selling NFTs, simply because it’s challenging to track all of the wallets online.

However, we know that NFT trading volume reached $6. 13 billion in January 2022.

Whilst artwork from Beeple and Pak have the highest sales values for individual pieces, the NFT collection CryptoPunks created by Larva Labs contains 5 of the top 20 biggest NFT sales of all time.

The most significant Cryptopunk NFT sale sold for approximately $11. 8 million. As one of the initial examples of NFTs, the Cryptopunk landscape is widely regarded to be incredibly valuable.

Most NFT Collectors haven’t recouped the costs of purchases

According to the Financial Times, most new NFT collectors have yet to recoup the cost of their investment. Many investors are still figuring out how to use their NFT investments correctly. Usually, this means it might take a little longer to figure out the best selling opportunity.

The uncertainty surrounding NFTs is why many buyers buy ‘collectable’ products to which they feel a personal connection.

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Demographic NFT statistics

According to research from Morning Consult, millennials are the age group most likely to get involved with NFTs. Millennials are three times more likely to buy and sell these assets than their Gen Z counterparts.

The study also showed that general interest in NFTs is growing, based on a deep love of ‘collecting. ‘ Around 1 in 3 US adults said they collect some form of a physical object as a hobby. Around 42% of millennials collect something physical too.

Men are twice as likely to collect NFTs than women

The same Morning Consult survey reveals that Men are twice as likely to identify as NFT collectors than their female counterparts.

The top 5 countries with the most significant NFT adoption are in Asia

A poll involving 28,000 people in 20 countries concluded that the top 5 countries with NFT owners were in Asia:

• the Philippines (32%)
• the UAE (23%)

However, in Thailand and Venezuela, more women than men own NFTs.

30% of women in Thailand own NFTs, compared to only 23% of men. Venezuela was the only country where women had more NFTs, with 11% compared to 10% of men.

Nigeria is expected to have the biggest growth in NFT adoption

The same Finder poll highlighted that Nigerians who own NFTs grew to 21.

Notable increases in NFT adoption rates were found in:

• Peru (14.5%)
• Venezuela (13.5%)
• Colombia (11.9%)
• USA (3.9%)
• UK (3.3%)

Low and high-income earners invest in NFTs

People buying NFTs originate from both ends of the income spectrum.

More than 70% of Americans still don’t know what an NFT is.

The latest data demonstrates that most adults in the US are not familiar with NFTs. The figures are higher in Japan (90%) and Germany (82. 6%). Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, only 55. 3% of people don’t know what an NFT is.

California buys more NFTs than any other state

Most NFTs are on the Ethereum network. NFT industry statistics show that the token uses 103. 17 TWh annually (in 2021). By contrast, proof-of-stake networks, like Polygon, produces just 0. 206587559 grams CO2 per transaction.

Interest in NFTs will keep growing

These NFT statistics underscore that NFTs are gaining in popularity worldwide. Demand for NFTs has become so high that people are parting thousands, even millions of dollars and euros, to own these NFTs.

Currently, the craze is for buying digital artwork, memes and gifs.

At the same time, the rise of NFTs is also leading to an increase in the number of methods people have for getting involved with these kinds of assets. Recently, companies have begun exploring opportunities to split NFTs into fragments, so everyone can own a «piece» of art, internet, or gaming history, rather than purchasing an entire asset.

There’s no doubt we’ll continue to see new and exciting NFT statistics in the years ahead!

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