Stock prices on the radio

Here’s mine. Thirty years ago, a university elective on the stock market inspired my roommate and me to visit a brokerage, open a shared account, pool 200 CNY each, and buy 100 shares in a Shanghai-based power company.

Every lunchtime, we listened to the radio for price updates. And one summer day at home, I heard it had doubled. I nearly jumped for joy.

Back at school, we sold. I told myself, “I’m done.” My roommate wasn’t.

He reinvested his 400 CNY in another power company based in Sichuan. The market slowly declined, and he was still holding the shares when we graduated.

Many years later, I returned to the stock market. I won some and lost more. I can’t recall the exact numbers or company names, but I still remember that first investment with my roommate, the excitement of that summer, and our daily lunchtime ritual by the radio.