With the government-ordered advent of decimalization in 2000 (stocks were previously traded in eighths of a dollar) and the rise of nimble competitors, the big spreads that Madoff .
Of various proposals for decimalization, the most practical is the solution already adopted by South Africa and recommended for Australia and New Zealand.
While businesses figured out how best to pay for their changeover expenses, the government estimated that the total cost of decimalization, including the training of staff .