Split opinion

Bacteria do it, atoms do it. And lots of shares do it as well. When they get too big, they split. But while it makes definite sense for microbes, the rationale is not so clear for stocks. When the CEO announces a stock split at the annual meeting, the retail holders may cheer, but that attitude is as rational as mine was when I used to exchange the banknotes in my piggy bank for pennies so that it would look fuller. And I was young and foolish then.There are significant costs involved in splits: