We study the effects of bank mergers and acquisitions in the U.K. from 1885 to 1925. The lack of a regulatory authority and the confidential nature of merger negotiations allows us to precisely measure the wealth effects of M&As in a laissez-faire environment. We find positive wealth effects for...

The late-Victorian era was characterized by especially close links between politicians and firms in the U.K., with up to half of all members of Parliament serving as company directors. We analyze the performance of 467 British companies over the period 1895 to 1904. An analysis of election...

U.K. company insiders, such as directors, were legally allowed to trade in the shares of their own companies up until the Companies Act of 1980. We investigate the trading behaviour of directors over the period 1893 to 1907 in the U.K. Although insider trading was profitable, we find relatively...

The late-Victorian era was characteristed by especially close links between politicians and firms in the UK. Roughly half of all members of Parliament served as company directors, many as directors of multiple firms. We analyze 467 British companies over the period 1895 to 1904 to investigate...