COMPANY·HISTORIES
SIC 6211

Security Brokers, Dealers and Flotation Companies

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

16companies1864–1979founding years16still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedGrupo Financiero Serfin, S.A.FoundedGrupo Financiero Serfin, S.A.
1864
FoundedThe John Nuveen CompanyFoundedThe John Nuveen Company
1898
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedInter-Regional Financial Group, Inc.FoundedInter-Regional Financial Group, Inc.
1909
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedConAgra, Inc.FoundedConAgra, Inc.
1919
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedSmith Barney Inc.FoundedSmith Barney Inc.
1964
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
FoundedThe Quick & Reilly Group, Inc.FoundedThe Quick & Reilly Group, Inc.
1974
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
FoundedNew Street Capital Inc.FoundedNew Street Capital Inc.
1976
FoundedWaterhouse Investor Services, Inc.FoundedWaterhouse Investor Services, Inc.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit worldwide.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Grupo Financiero Serfin, S.A. →
Active · founded 1864 · Mexico
Grupo Financiero Serfin, S.A.
Grupo Financiero Serfin, S.A. →
Active · founded 1864 · Mexico
Grupo Financiero Serfin, S.A.
The John Nuveen Company →
Active · founded 1898
A longtime operator in the investment industry, The John Nuveen Company concentrates on the sponsorship, marketing, and…
The John Nuveen Company →
Active · founded 1898
A longtime operator in the investment industry, The John Nuveen Company concentrates on the sponsorship, marketing, and…
Inter-Regional Financial Group, Inc. →
Active · founded 1909
Inter-Regional Financial Group, Inc.
Inter-Regional Financial Group, Inc. →
Active · founded 1909
Inter-Regional Financial Group, Inc.
ConAgra, Inc. →
Active · founded 1919
In 1919 Alva Kinney brought four grain milling companies in south central Nebraska together to take advantage of…
ConAgra, Inc. →
Active · founded 1919
In 1919 Alva Kinney brought four grain milling companies in south central Nebraska together to take advantage of…
Smith Barney Inc. →
Active · founded 1964
From its unprepossessing beginnings in Philadelphia more than a century ago, Smith Barney has grown into a financial…
Smith Barney Inc. →
Active · founded 1964
From its unprepossessing beginnings in Philadelphia more than a century ago, Smith Barney has grown into a financial…
The Quick & Reilly Group, Inc. →
Active · founded 1974
The Quick & Reilly Group, Inc.
The Quick & Reilly Group, Inc. →
Active · founded 1974
The Quick & Reilly Group, Inc.
New Street Capital Inc. →
Active · founded 1976
Since its incorporation in 1976, Drexel Burnham Lambert Incorporated (reorganized as New Street Capital Inc.), once a…
New Street Capital Inc. →
Active · founded 1976
Since its incorporation in 1976, Drexel Burnham Lambert Incorporated (reorganized as New Street Capital Inc.), once a…
Waterhouse Investor Services, Inc. →
Active · founded 1979
Waterhouse Investor Services, Inc.
Waterhouse Investor Services, Inc. →
Active · founded 1979
Waterhouse Investor Services, Inc.
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