It's fascinating/ironic that the original joint-stock companies were formed for seagoing trade: The East India Company (of England, later of the United Kingdom)

It's fascinating/ironic that the original joint-stock companies were formed for seagoing trade: The East India Company (of England, later of the United Kingdom), sometimes referred to as "John Company", was one of the most famous joint-stock companies. It was granted an English Royal Charter by Elizabeth I on December 31, 1600, with the intention of favouring trade privileges in India. The Royal Charter effectively gave the newly created Honourable East India Company (HEIC) a 21-year monopoly on all trade in the East Indies. Soon afterwards, in 1602, the Dutch East India Company issued shares on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange. During the period of colonialism, the joint stock company Europeans, initially the British, trading with the Near East for goods, pepper and calico for example, enjoyed spreading the risk of trade over multiple sea voyages. The joint stock company became a more viable financial structure than previous guilds or state-regulated companies. The first joint-stock companies to be implemented in the Americas were The Virginia Company and The Plymouth Company. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_stock_company#Early_joint-stock_companies http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_stock_company#Early_joint...