Hong Kong is one of the world's top five international financial centres, but this is mainly due to banking activity in the territory. The stock exchange is relatively poorly developed, ranking only tenth by market capitalisation in 2002. In common with emerging stock markets in Asia and elsewhere, the Hong Kong exchange tended to be used as a speculative outlet for both small and large investors, which led to wide fluctuations in prices. This article explores how the development of the exchanges in the 1960s and 1970s, and the combination of self-regulation and poor external supervision contributed to weaknesses in the stock market in Hong Kong.

The UK annuity market is one of the largest in the world and of considerable importance for research on pensions, and understanding the decumulation phase in defined-contribution pension schemes. Time-series data for UK annuity rates has hitherto been unavailable. This article presents data for the period 1957 to 2002 and describes how the data were constructed.

Using the transfer records and ledger books of the Bank of England, this article examines women's market activity during and after the South Sea Bubble. Women are classified by marital or social status. During 1720, women's activity constituted 13 per cent of transactions measured by value, 10 per cent of total sales and 8 per cent of total purchases. While individual women lost and made money from their market activity, women's net position over the Bubble was positive. We also provide a case study of Johanna Cock, one of the larger broker/jobbers in Bank stock. By September 1720, women made up 20 per cent of Bank shareholders holding 10 per cent of the capital stock. By September 1725, women held nearly 15 per cent of a much larger capital stock.