"...not even Bill Gates (the richest man in America) could bail out the NYSE today.."
I think he's the richest in the world right now, but I digress. He could bail out of hte NYSE any time he wants. Life would be different, but please ..... we need him more than he needs us anymore.
Net worth of Bill Gates: About $30 Billion
Average 1 day of transaction on the NYSE: 1.8 Billion Shares worth $69 billion dollars for companies worth $22.5 trillion dollars.
No way...