[lmr]

The visual of that graph is misleading because the increment between 40 and 60 is measurably shorter than the increment between 20 and 40, as well as the increment between 1 and 20 which is HUGE. The increment between 60 and 80 is even shorter still than the increment between 60 and 80. Not your fault, BUT I HATE GRAPHS THAT LIE.

[tyen]

The increment between 60 and 80 is even shorter still than the increment between 60 and 80. Not your fault, BUT I HATE GRAPHS THAT LIE.

This is just an instance of someone using the equivalent of jargon for the financial services industry when conversing with a layperson. Logarithmic scales are commonly used in the industry, but sometimes the assumption that everyone reads financial performance data on such a scale catches some lay people off guard.

[petercooper]

OK here it is in linear scale

Why Isn't the Price Scale Evenly Spaced? Long-term charts use logarithmic rather than linear scale. Logarithmic is the standard for most stock price charting applications. Logarithmic scales for stock charts allow you to compare details in a more meaningful way, even when the price varies over a wide range. They also reflect the relative nature of stock price movement (eg, a 5 point move in a $10 stock is much more drastic than the same point-value move in a $100 stock), thus making side-by-side comparison of charts more relevant.