Financial Characteristics of Large British Companies, 1880-1926

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner. The main aims of the project are three-fold: (1) To identify and describe the development of the electricity industry in Britain prior to the formation of the national grid using company market-based financial data; and (2) To construct a consistent data set of the key market-based financial characteristics of the principle companies. (3) To use this to examine the development of the British electricity industry compared to similar development in the United States and Germany. Latest edition information For the second edition (October 2021) data and documentation relating to Swan United Electric Light Company Limited (1882-1894); Edison and Swan United Electric Light Company Limited (1882-1914), Anglo-American Brush Electric Light and Power Corporation Limited (1882-1889) and Brush Electrical Engineering Limited (1889-1914) were added to the study. Main Topics: The key financial characteristics are:(1) The quarterly (January, April, July and October) market closing price of each traded security for each identified company;(2) The number of each security outstanding, both traded and non-traded, at the end of each quarter;(3) Multiplied together, characteristics (1) and (2) produce quarterly market capitalization for quoted companies by security. Summing all quoted securities issued by a company produces for each quarter its total market capitalizations. The value of non-quoted securities can be estimated from the dividend and interest payments they make.(4) The paid-up amount for each security, including premiums and discounts (if any);(5) The nominal value of each security;(6) The payments (if any) made in each quarter to holders of the securities.