If only…
Investment firm Man Group (LSE: MAN) is the world’s largest publicly traded hedge-fund company with more than $100bn in funds under management and more than 1,000 employees around the world.
It was founded in the 18th century as a sugar-trading operation and for almost 200 years was the exclusive supplier of rum to the Royal Navy. It recently became the first foreign firm to launch a hedge fund in China. The last year has seen a steady rise of over 67% in its shares.
Be glad you didn’t…
Bedford-based Provident Financial (LSE: PFG) is a subprime lender that has been in business since 1880. Until around 2015 it was in rude health, but competition from online lenders such as Wonga has eaten into its business.
And a series of setbacks, including investigations by the regulator and two profit warnings in the space of three months, led to its expulsion from the FTSE 100 in 2017. The last year has seen almost 70% wiped off its value.