Paris Bourse crash of 1882
Encyclopedia
The Paris Bourse crash of 1882 was a stock market crash
in France
, and was the worst crisis in the French economy in the nineteenth century. The crash was triggerd by the collapse of l'Union Générale in January. Around a quarter of the brokers on the bourse were on the brink of collapse. The closure of the exchange was prevented by a loan from the Banque de France
which enabled sufficient liquidity to support settlement.
As the market grew, interest rates began to rise and lenders began demanding a premium – a warning that a collapse would occur. These events are very similar to the events leading up to the American 1929 boom. As this happened, the price of l'Union Générale began to deteriorate. The bank failed to sell all its capital and falsified public reports. Between January 5, 1881 and January 14, 1881 the cash price of a share dropped from 3,040 to 2,800 francs.
Immediately after the crash, the bank’s founder accused that its downfall was caused by Jewish-German banks and Freemasons vying to destroy growing financial institutions that backed conservative Catholic political agendas.
It is now generally accepted that there was no conspiracy to destroy the bank, however, it remains unclear why the collapse of the bank was so devastating.
During the 1882 crash, 14 of 60 stock brokers appeared to be in imminent danger of failure and 7 were completely bankrupt. The famous painter Paul Gauguin
had been working as a stock broker until the crash, after that, he decided to dedicate to painting full-time.
Stock market crash
A stock market crash is a sudden dramatic decline of stock prices across a significant cross-section of a stock market, resulting in a significant loss of paper wealth. Crashes are driven by panic as much as by underlying economic factors...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and was the worst crisis in the French economy in the nineteenth century. The crash was triggerd by the collapse of l'Union Générale in January. Around a quarter of the brokers on the bourse were on the brink of collapse. The closure of the exchange was prevented by a loan from the Banque de France
Banque de France
The Banque de France is the central bank of France; it is linked to the European Central Bank . Its main charge is to implement the interest rate policy of the European System of Central Banks...
which enabled sufficient liquidity to support settlement.
Causes
l'Union Générale rose from 500 francs a share in 1879 to over 3,000 francs at its peak. Investors saw the booming market for new securities and jumped into the forward market. Speculators also printed counterfeit money; they renewed their forward contracts in hopes for a continuous rise in prices.As the market grew, interest rates began to rise and lenders began demanding a premium – a warning that a collapse would occur. These events are very similar to the events leading up to the American 1929 boom. As this happened, the price of l'Union Générale began to deteriorate. The bank failed to sell all its capital and falsified public reports. Between January 5, 1881 and January 14, 1881 the cash price of a share dropped from 3,040 to 2,800 francs.
During
The crash led to a recession which lasted until the end of the decadeImmediately after the crash, the bank’s founder accused that its downfall was caused by Jewish-German banks and Freemasons vying to destroy growing financial institutions that backed conservative Catholic political agendas.
It is now generally accepted that there was no conspiracy to destroy the bank, however, it remains unclear why the collapse of the bank was so devastating.
During the 1882 crash, 14 of 60 stock brokers appeared to be in imminent danger of failure and 7 were completely bankrupt. The famous painter Paul Gauguin
Paul Gauguin
Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin was a leading French Post-Impressionist artist. He was an important figure in the Symbolist movement as a painter, sculptor, print-maker, ceramist, and writer...
had been working as a stock broker until the crash, after that, he decided to dedicate to painting full-time.