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The anatomy of a bubble company: The London Assurance in 1720

Author

Listed:
  • Acheson, Graeme G.
  • Aldous, Michael
  • Quinn, William
Abstract
Research on the financial events of 1720 in Britain has overwhelmingly focused on the South Sea Company, but price movements were much more dramatic in the shares of the newly incorporated London Assurance (LA) Company. This paper uses unique archival material on the London Assurance to address three important debates around the 1720 bubble. First, it examines competing claims around the bubble's price dynamics, finding that the largest price movements were driven by changes in the market structure for LA shares rather than by news about fundamentals. Second, it explores how the shareholder base changed during the bubble, finding that informed insiders were more likely to exit for a profit at the peak of the bubble. Finally, an examination of LA shareholder behaviour up to 1737 suggests that the bubble caused a loss of shareholder expertise, with detrimental consequences for the Company's governance. These results demonstrate how a bubble in the shares of a newly created company can lead to an exodus of informed investors, damaging the company's long-term prospects.

Suggested Citation

  • Acheson, Graeme G. & Aldous, Michael & Quinn, William, 2022. "The anatomy of a bubble company: The London Assurance in 1720," QUCEH Working Paper Series 22-08, Queen's University Belfast, Queen's University Centre for Economic History.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:qucehw:202208
    as

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    File URL: https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/260594/1/1807241440.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    South Sea Bubble; London Assurance Company; Market Structure; AssetPricing; Shareholder Behaviour;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • N23 - Economic History - - Financial Markets and Institutions - - - Europe: Pre-1913
    • N83 - Economic History - - Micro-Business History - - - Europe: Pre-1913
    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates
    • G22 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Insurance; Insurance Companies; Actuarial Studies

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