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The Berlin Stock Exchange in Imperial Germany: A Market for New Technology?

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  • Sibylle Lehmann-Hasemeyer
  • Jochen Streb

Abstract

Analyzing 474 cases of firms going public in the German capital between 1892 and 1913, we show that innovative firms could rely on the Berlin stock market as a source of financing. Our data also reveal that initial public offerings (IPO) of innovative firms were characterized by particularly low underpricing, comparatively high first trading prices, and no long-run underperformance. We interpret these empirical results as evidence for the surprising fact that in the period of the Second Industrial Revolution the Berlin stock exchange was already a well-functioning market for new technology.

Suggested Citation

  • Sibylle Lehmann-Hasemeyer & Jochen Streb, 2016. "The Berlin Stock Exchange in Imperial Germany: A Market for New Technology?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 106(11), pages 3558-3576, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aecrev:v:106:y:2016:i:11:p:3558-76
    Note: DOI: 10.1257/aer.20150626
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Francesco Cinnirella & Jochen Streb, 2017. "Religious Tolerance as Engine of Innovation," CESifo Working Paper Series 6797, CESifo.
    2. Stephen D Billington & Alan J Hanna, 2021. "That’s classified! Inventing a new patent taxonomy [Text matching to measure patent similarity]," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 30(3), pages 678-705.
    3. Naudé, Wim & Nagler, Paula, 2022. "The Ossified Economy: The Case of Germany, 1870-2020," IZA Discussion Papers 15607, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    4. Marc Deloof & Abe Jong & Wilco Legierse, 2023. "Going public: evidence from stock and bond IPOs in Belgium, 1839–1935," Cliometrica, Springer;Cliometric Society (Association Francaise de Cliométrie), vol. 17(3), pages 433-466, September.
    5. Hof, Franz X. & Prettner, Klaus, 2019. "The quest for status and R&D-based growth," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 290-307.
    6. Alexander Donges & Jean-Marie Meier & Rui C. Silva, 2023. "The Impact of Institutions on Innovation," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 69(4), pages 1951-1974, April.
    7. Jansson, Walter, 2018. "Stock markets, banks and economic growth in the UK, 1850–1913," Financial History Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 25(3), pages 263-296, December.
    8. Monnet, Eric & Velde, François R., 2020. "Money, Banking, and Old-School Historical Economics," CEPR Discussion Papers 15348, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    9. Lehmann-Hasemeyer, Sibylle H. & Streb, Jochen, 2018. "Discrimination against Foreigners. The Wuerttemberg Patent Law in Administrative Practice," Working Papers 7, German Research Foundation's Priority Programme 1859 "Experience and Expectation. Historical Foundations of Economic Behaviour", Humboldt University Berlin.
    10. Nikolaus Wolf, 2021. "Deutschland in der ersten Globalisierung," Wirtschaftsdienst, Springer;ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 101(4), pages 254-258, April.
    11. Francesco Cinnirella & Jochen Streb, 2017. "The role of human capital and innovation in economic development: evidence from post-Malthusian Prussia," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 22(2), pages 193-227, June.
    12. Lehmann-Hasemeyer, Sibylle & Wahl, Fabian, 2017. "Savings Banks and the Industrial Revolution in Prussia Supporting Regional Development with Public Financial Institutions," CEPR Discussion Papers 12500, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    13. Abe de Jong & Wilco Legierse, 2022. "What causes hot markets for equity IPOs? An analysis of initial public offerings in the Netherlands, 1876–2015 [Market timing and capital structure]," European Review of Economic History, European Historical Economics Society, vol. 26(2), pages 208-233.
    14. Jens Günther, 2017. "Capital market effects around dividend announcements: an analysis of the Berlin stock exchange in 1895," Accounting History Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(3), pages 249-278, September.
    15. Fjesme, Sturla & Hannah, Leslie & Moore, Lyndon, 2024. "Informed investors, screening, and sorting on the London capital market, 1891-1913," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    16. Marc Deloof & Ine Paeleman, 2024. "International entrepreneurship without investor protection: Evidence from initial public offerings in Belgium before the First World War," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 77(2), pages 523-553, May.
    17. Lehmann-Hasemeyer, Sibylle & Streb, Jochen, 2017. "Does Social Security crowd out Private Savings? The Case of Bismarck’s System of Social Insurance," IBF Paper Series 06-17, IBF – Institut für Bank- und Finanzgeschichte / Institute for Banking and Financial History, Frankfurt am Main.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • G14 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Information and Market Efficiency; Event Studies; Insider Trading
    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • G24 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Investment Banking; Venture Capital; Brokerage
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • N23 - Economic History - - Financial Markets and Institutions - - - Europe: Pre-1913

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