In previous posts, I have highlighted the problems faced by Ulster Bank as a result of the financial crisis. Once again, Ulster Bank (and its parent company RBS) has announced losses in excess of £1 billion (click here). At the root its problems are defaults on the property loans it made at the height of the housing boom. The big question for me is whether there are even more dramatic losses to come. Only time will tell!
My colleague and former PhD student Gareth Campbell has created a website about the British Railway Mania - click here . This episode has been described by the Economist as probably the greatest bubble in human history. Gareth's website provides background on the Mania and posits some explanations for the 'bubble'. In his explanation of why the bubble happened, Gareth places a lot of emphasis on investor myopia regarding future dividends and uncalled capital. His study of investors during the episode does not support the view that this episode was fuelled by naive and irrational investors.
