Lodewijk Petram

Lodewijk Petram

The World’s First Stock Exchange

We are up to our necks in the financial markets these days, whether we like it or not. But how did we get here? Lodewijk Petram’s fascinating new book tells us. Back in the early seventeenth century, Amsterdam was in the process of growing from a regional market town into Europe’s dominant financial centre. It all started with the launch of the Dutch East India Company in 1602, which introduced easily transferable shares. Within days people were trading them, and soon they were engaged in a wide range of complex transactions, including forwards, futures, options and bear raids. By 1680 the techniques deployed in the Amsterdam market were as sophisticated as any today.