The Wall Street Journal has an interesting article on Chilango's bond issuance (hat tip: Graeme Acheson). Chilango is a Mexican fast-food outlet in London, which is seeking to expand across London. To achieve this, they have issued a four-year bond with an 8% coupon. However, for those who invest £10,000 in the bonds, there is an additional coupon in the form of a free burrito every week during the lifetime of the bond. This seems to be a trend, with Hotel Chocolat paying its bond coupon with chocolate (see video below)! Issuing bonds helps small firms bypass banks and they are not a new innovation. Small firms financed themselves in this manner before 1913.
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.