Historical Data Resources

Cowles Data - The COWLES COMMISSION FOR RESEARCH IN ECONOMICS is a not-for-profit corporation, founded in 1932 for the purpose of conducting and encouraging investigations into economic problems. The purpose of Cowles Commission common-stock indexes is to portray the average experience of those investing in these securities in the United States from 1871 to 1938.

Greenbacks - During the first year of the US Civil War, the conversion of bank or Treasury notes into gold was suspended. In accordance to the Legal Tender Acts in 1862, the government issued an inconvertible currency called “Greenbacks”. This database includes the high and low daily price for Greenbacks in gold from 1 January 1862 to 31 December 1878. The data is explained in the paper “Turning Points in the Civil War: Views from the Greenback Market.” (by Kristen L. Willard, Timothy W. Guinnane, and Harvey S. Rosen). American Economic Review 86(4): 1001-1018, 1996" .

Government Security Prices and Loans. Data provided by Prof. Rose Razaghian, Yale University. Data explained in "Financial Credibility in the United States: The Impact of Institutions, 1789-1860."

London Stock Exchange Project - The Investors Monthly Manual, a record of The London Exchange, exists in hard copy for the period from 1871 to 1930, the peak of the colonial era. The London market was the most active market in the world at this time, trading not only domestic securities, but sovereign debt from all over the world as well as the equity and debt of foreign companies. The IMM records prices, dividends and capitalization, as well as other potentially useful information. The articles in the IMM detail issues of current interest to investors over the 70-year period. click here to search the IMM Journals.

New York Stock Exchange Project - The NYSE History Research Project is an on-going research effort by the International Center for Finance to collect price and dividend information on NYSE stocks from the beginning of the exchange to the present, for analysis of long-term trends and performance.

Shanghai Stock Exchange Project - The Shanghai Stock Exchange History Research Project is an on-going research effort by the International Center for Finance to collect price and dividend information on stocks that were listed in the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) during the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries.

St. Petersburg Stock Exchange Project - The St. Petersburg Stock Exchange History Research Project is an on-going research effort by the International Center for Finance to collect price and dividend information on stocks that were listed in the St. Petersburg Stock Exchange (SPSE) during the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries.