Influential Investors and Economists

1. David Ricardo

British Political Economist

Systemazed Economics
Famous for his Theory of Comparative Advantage (free-trade)
Created the Theory of Value
Responsible for developing Theories of Rent, Wages and Profits
Wrote a book entitled "Principles of Political Economy and Taxation"

2. JP Morgan

Founded and responsible for the formation of some companies like General

Electric, and the United States Steel Corporation

Established the 2nd largest bank in the world by assets
Helped the New York Times to regain its position when they struggled

financially in 1896
Resolved the 1907 Panic crisis in the U.S. by redirecting money between
banks, secured further international lines of credit, and bought plummeting

stocks of healthy corporations

Supplied the U.S. Treasury with 3.5 million ounces of gold when Federal

Treasury was nearly out of gold

A respected American financier, banker, philanthropist and art collector who
dominated corporate finance and industrial consolidation during his time

3. Benjamin Graham

The Father of Value Investing

An American economist and professional investor
Wrote a book, together with David Dodd, entitled "Security Analysis", and

the book was considered a bible for serious investors since it was written
An advocate of Dividend payments to shareholders rather than businesses

keeping all of their profits as Retained Earnings

Greatly influenced Warren Buffett
Wrote the book The Intelligent Investor

4. Warren Buffett

An American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist

He is widely considered the most successful investor of the 20th century
He bought the Coca-Cola Company in 1988 and eventually purchased 7% of
the Company. It turned out to be one of the most lucrative investmens
Buffett had made

CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, an American multinational conglomerate

holding company
Bought General Electric and received some special Incentives and Options
Endorsed U.S. Pres. Barack Obama during his Presidential Campaign

5. John Maynard Keynes

A British Economist
His Ideas greatly influenced Macroeconomics
His ideas are the basis for the school of thought known as Keynesian

economics
Wrote the book "The General Theory of Employment, Interest, and Money"
Had some critics like Milton Friedman
Wrote the book "A Treatise on Probability"

6. Nathan Mayer Rothschild

A Banker and Financier

At the age of 21, he settled in Manchester and established a business in

textile trading and finance

He began to deal on the London stock exchange in financial instruments

such as foreign bills and government securities in later years

He founded the Alliance Assurance Company (now Royal & SunAlliance)

with Moses Montefiore.

He was known for his role in the abolition of the Slave Trade
He set up his London business, N. M. Rothschild and Sons at New Court in
St Swithin's Lane, City of London, where it trades today