The Lookout Investor

  Today marks the 300th anniversary of the penultimate moment of the South Sea Bubble. On August 22, 1720, following the wild bull run from 128 pounds to over 1,000 pounds per share, the fourth and final share subscription of the South Sea Company took place. It proved to be the tipping point of the South Sea Bubble. Many attempted to become wealthy through the stock. Most failed.  On August 22, South Sea shares were offered at 1,000 pounds, and by October they were 290 pounds. Families were reduced to beggary. This article outlines what today’s investors look out for, in order, to not suffer the same fate as the average citizen in England in 1720. Understand what you are investing in There are many things to look out for in investments, however, the most basic and important one is understanding the business. In the case of the South Sea Bubble, although the investors knew it was a trading company, but if they had dug just a little bit deeper then they would have found that on...

  The comically disproportioned Penny Farthing bicycles were the go-to bike in England during the early 1870s through the early 1880s. However, they were not widely used. Like the bicycles we know today; they were less for daily transportation and more of a novelty item. Penny Farthings were expensive(10 pounds), and they were extremely uncomfortable. They were so uncomfortable that the flagship model was called the “boneshaker”. On top of that the seat was so high they were hard to mount and pedal.  In 1886, John Kemp Starley made the first commercially produced bicycle of a new age of bicycles that transformed the Penny Farthing into something which closely resembles the bikes we ride today. They had a chain in order to reduce the size of the wheel and made them equal sizes. Also, they had pneumatic tires which contributed to a much smoother ride. No to mention the frame was far smaller which made them significantly easier to mount and ride. Because of these features, they r...