In the early modern period, the Dutch developed several financial instruments and helped lay the foundations of the modern financial system. The Dutch East India Company(VOC) became the first company in history to issu

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Usually, the securities of a publicly traded company are owned by many investors while the shares of a privately held companyare owned by relatively few shareholders. A company

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Advantages
Public companies possess some advantages over privately held businesses.
• Publicly traded companies are able to raise funds and capital through the sale (in the primary or secondary market) of shares of

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In the United States, the Securities and Exchange Commission requires that firms whose stock is traded publicly report their major shareholderseach year. The reports identify all institutional shareholders (primarily, firms owning stock in other companies), all company

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In corporate privatization, more often called "going private", a group of private investors or another company that is privately held can buy out

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The shares of a publicly traded company are often traded on a stock exchange. The value or "size" of a company is called its market capitalization, a term which is often shortened to "market

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For many years, newly created companies were privately held but held initial public offeringto become publicly traded company or to be acquired by another company if they became larger and more profitable or had promising prospects. More infrequently, some

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