tax-exempt entities

– Foreign investors, retirement accounts, and other tax-exempt entities now dominate US stock ownership.
– At the end of 2022, foreign investors held the largest single block, 42 percent, of total outstanding US stock.
– Domestic retirement accounts are the next largest holder of US stock, accounting for 27 percent of the total.
– The share of outstanding US stock held in taxable brokerage and mutual fund accounts declined from 79 percent to 27 percent from 1965 to 2022.
– Policymakers must grapple with a relatively small and dwindling number of taxable accounts when seeking to increase shareholder taxes.