This book addresses the divide that exists between the reality of finance and the image it projects. A functioning financial system is an essential feature of a modern economy, providing it with money, credit, capital, and investments. Conversely, those who provide this essential service are neither respected nor trusted. The causes and consequences of this divide is explored using the British experience from 1800 to the present, drawing upon a mixture of factual evidence and contemporary fiction. Nothing of this scale has been attempted before and this is the product of 50 years of research.

'This volume truly brings together an interdisciplinary, long-term, financial and legal understanding of financial crises. Contributions from top scholars in the different fields make this a must read for anyone interested in the business and economic development of financial institutions and practices.' - Bernardo Batiz-Lazo, Bangor University, UK 'This important collection of essays uses the historical experiences of various countries to explore how the increasing complexity of financial systems has magnified the risk of crises. I'm extremely confident that this book will be consulted by scholars in disciplines ranging from law to finance to history. I also sincerely hope that this book will also be read by the public servants responsible for macroprudential regulation and the prevention of future financial crises.' - Andrew Smith, University of Liverpool Management School, UK What are the long-term causes and consequences of the global financial crisis of 2007-2008? This book offers a fresh perspective on these issues by bringing together a range of academics from law, history, economics and business to look in more depth at the changing relationships between crises and complexity in the US and UK financial markets. The contributors are motivated by three main questions: Is the present financial system more complex than in the past and, if so, why? To what extent, and in what ways, does the worldwide financial crisis of 2007-2008 differ from past financial crises? How can governments, regulators and businesses better manage and deal with increased levels of complexity both in the present and in the future? Students and scholars of finance, economics, history, financial law, banking and international business will find this book to be of interest. It will also be of use to regulators and policymakers involved in the US and UK banking sectors. Contributors: F. Akinbami, T. T. Arvind, P.H. Bent, M. Billings, I. Bond, R.F. Bruner, A. Campbell, S.D. Carr, M. Casson, J.M. Dahlgreen, J. Foreman-Peck, J. Gray, L. Hannah, M. Hollow, A. Mehedi, D.T. Mitchell, R. Michie, J. Singleton, J. Taylor, R. Tomasic, S. Wilson

The relationship between the British government and the City of London has become central to debates on modern British economic, political and social life. For some the City's financial and commercial interests have exercised a dominant influence over government economic policy, creating a preoccupation with international markets and the strength of sterling which impaired domestic industrial and social well-being. Others have argued that government seriously constricted financial markets, jeopardising Britain's most successful economic sector. This collection of essays was the first book to address these issues over the entire twentieth century. It brings together leading financial and political historians to assess the government-City relationship from several directions and by examination of key episodes. As such, it will be indispensable not just for the study of modern British politics and finance, but also for assessment of the worldwide problem of tensions between national governments and international financial centres.

First published in 1987, this is a reissue of the first book to offer a detailed comparison of two of the foremost stock exchanges in world before 1914. It is not only an exercise in comparative economic history but it also relates these institutions to wider world markets, thereby clarifying their functions and how they related to the general financial and economic framework. Students and researchers in economic and social history will welcome the reissue of this groundbreaking account of two historically important institutions in a crucial period of their development. Financial practitioners and others will also find much of interest here, in terms of both fascinating history and of insights into an era when a global market was rapidly evolving largely free of the twentieth-century distortions and hindrances introduced by wars, interventionist governments and exchange controls.

First published in 1987, this is a reissue of the first book to offer a detailed comparison of two of the foremost stock exchanges in world before 1914. It is not only an exercise in comparative economic history but it also relates these institutions to wider world markets, thereby clarifying their functions and how they related to the general financial and economic framework.

Students and researchers in economic and social history will welcome the reissue of this groundbreaking account of two historically important institutions in a crucial period of their development. Financial practitioners and others will also find much of interest here, in terms of both fascinating history and of insights into an era when a global market was rapidly evolving largely free of the twentieth-century distortions and hindrances introduced by wars, interventionist governments and exchange controls.

The relationship between the British government and the City of London has become central to debates on modern British economic, political and social life. For some the City's financial and commercial interests have exercised a dominant influence over government economic policy, creating a preoccupation with international markets and the strength of sterling which impaired domestic industrial and social well-being. Others have argued that government seriously constricted financial markets, jeopardising Britain's most successful economic sector. This collection of essays was the first book to address these issues over the entire twentieth century. It brings together leading financial and political historians to assess the government-City relationship from several directions and by examination of key episodes. As such, it will be indispensable not just for the study of modern British politics and finance, but also for assessment of the worldwide problem of tensions between national governments and international financial centres.

This history of the global securities market is the product of over 30 years of research by one of the world's foremost financial historians. It covers all aspects of the history of the securities markets from its beginnings in Medieval Venice through Amsterdam and London to its operations in Tokyo and New York today. It also integrates the history of both stocks and bonds, established and emerging markets, stock exchanges and over-the-counter trading, and the crises and continuity that have made the global securities market such a force in the world over the centuries.
A path-breaking book unlike any other written before, it provides in one volume an authoritative account of the global securities market from its earliest developments to the present day.

This history of the global securities market is the product of over 30 years of research by one of the world's foremost financial historians. It covers all aspects of the history of the securities markets from its beginnings in Medieval Venice through Amsterdam and London to its operations in Tokyo and New York today. It also integrates the history of both stocks and bonds, established and emerging markets, stock exchanges and over-the- counter trading, and the crises and continuity that have made the global securities market such a force in the world over the centuries. A path-breaking book unlike any other written before, it provides in one volume an authoritative account of the global securities market from its earliest developments to the present day.

Benefiting from unrivalled access to its archives, Professor Michie explores the changes that have taken place throughout the history of the London Stock Exchange and reveals the profound implications of these changes not only for the Stock Exchange itself, but also for the relationship between the government and the securities market. Complete with an introduction by Sir Nicholas Goodison, former Chairman of the Stock Exchange, this book provides an invaluable insight into the way Britain's financial system has evolved over the centuries and the role it has played both at home and abroad.

As of 2001, the London Stock Exchange is 200 years old, though its origins go back a century before that. This text traces the history of the London Stock Exchange from its beginnings around 1700 to the late 1990s chronicling the challenges and opportunities it has faced, avoided or exploited over the years. Throughout, the history seeks to blend an understanding of the London Stock Exchange as an institution with that of the securities market of which it was - and is - such an important component. One cannot be examined satisfactorily without the other. Without a knowledge of both, for example, the causes of the "Big Ban" of 1986 would remain a mystery. However, the history of the London Stock Exchange is not just worthy of study for what it reveals about the interaction between institution and market. Such was the importance of the London Stock Exchange that its rise to world dominance before 1914, its decline thereafter, and its renaissance from the mid-1980s, explain a great deal about Britain's own economic performance and the working of the international economy. A British economic institution of foremost importance is therefore studied throughout its entire history, with reg