East India Company: The Original Too-Big-to-Fail Firm
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March 12 (Bloomberg) -- For an institution that has beendefunct for almost 150 years, the East India Company stillevokes powerful reactions across the world.
Last year, when the Indian government debated allowingforeign companies to open supermarkets there, protestersshouted: “This is the return of the East India Company!” In theU.K., the East India Company’s extraordinary rise and fall haveuncanny parallels with the stock-market bubbles and governmentbailouts that have shaken the economy over the past decade.