[quote=jstoesz]Why would Ford be a publically traded company if not for greater acces to capital?

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Possibly because at some point the Ford family wanted cash rather than stock in their own company. And then the person who had the Ford stock wanted something else, and so on . . . Although I understand the value of access to capital, at times it seems like the stock market is a bit of a game of hot potato, with everyone hoping to buy low and sell high, while knowing that that is impossible.