DOMESTIC BUBBLING - 18TH-CENTURY LONDON MERCHANTS AND INDIVIDUAL INVESTMENT IN THE FUNDS

This article discusses how eighteenth-century London merchants who tra ded overseas constructed their investment portfolios and how they mana ged the Funds corner of the market. Drawing on public and private reco rds to reconstitute collective and individual portfolios, the author s hows that business and financial portfolios were broadly diversified, that styles of investing in the Funds reflected individual personaliti es and attitudes towards risk, and that reasons for investing were hea vily weighted towards finding a safe, interim store of value and acqui ring control in a monied company.